The Pack Chronicles Book One: Young, Fun & HotBlooded
by SixthOfLorien
Summary: In the very first instillation of TPC, Jared Thail misses school and comes back a total Sex God with an unending interest in Kim. Her doubts are reasonable-but there's more to this boy than meets the eye,& Kim wants to find out, no matter how much trouble it could get her into.
1. Home of the Lumberjacks

**Chapter 1-Welcome to La Push, Home of the Lumberjacks**

I threw my hand over my alarm clock before it had time to attack my ears.

"Jordyn." I grumbled. I didn't hear her move, so I threw a pillow in her direction.

"Ugh!" she groaned, sitting up. Her blonde waves fell over her collar bone. I always wondered why she'd wanted to dye it, down here finding a natural blonde was pretty rare, but that was Jordyn-the idea of sticking out in any way, shape, or form terrified her.

"Kimamsdfsd." She whined.

"No, wake up." I sighed, not moving. We laid in silence for a while. This was the problem with me and Jordyn. You know how every pair of sisters has a responsible one, and then a reckless one? That was not the case with us. Neither of us felt the need to play adult, because to be honest…it was just too damn boring.

"Kim, Jordyn, awake, now." Mom's voice sounded even shriller in the morning. Jordyn scurried out of bed, eager to please. I heard a thud and a series of curse words.

"Shut up." She grumbled, swatting at me when I started laughing into my pillow. She grabbed my ankle and slung me out of bed, the cold wood floor shocking me out of my sleepy haze.

"Dammit, Jor." I whined, pulling on a tank top and a blue plaid short sleeved button-up. "You're such an ass in the morning." Jordyn shot me a smile and pulled her jeans on, nearly slipping again when the pant leg slid across the floor.

"Say nothing." She growled, pulling together what little dignity she had left.

I breezed past her and flipped the switch on in the bathroom. I squinted against the intense light, feeling around for my brush. I found a can of shaving cream instead, and in a panic ended up getting the shit all over my face. Clothes change, anyone? When I was re-dressed and could finally see straight, I went back in, this shoving the devil-cream off the counter. I ripped a brush through my straight black hair, feeling the ends that dipped to my collar bone. Someone needed a trim.

"Do you have my KU hoodie?" Jordyn demanded, nearly shoving me into the tub.

"Number one, no. Number two, this bathroom is not big enough for both of us. Scram." Jordyn rolled her hazel eyes at me before leaving again.

I studied myself in the mirror. People had always been very direct in the fact that she was the prettier sister. "5'7", Blonde hair, hazel eyes, perfect quilette toned skin, she was practically flawless with her high cheekbones and pouty lips. For the most part, I tried to ignore the hordes of family members that compared me to her, because it was never good news for me. My black, straight hair hung to my collar bones. I had the same skin tone as Jordyn, but my eyes were a little darker, and somewhat bigger. My nose was button-y, my lips were nice but my cheeks weren't nearly as good as hers were. She looked a lot like my mom than I did. I was shorter than both of them, only by an inch at "5'6", and instead of being blessed with curves that any woman would kill for, I wound up with big boobs and no ass, the rest was all muscle.

"You're so awkwardly portioned." Jor murmured, poking that non-existing ass of mine. I swatted her hand away.

"Zip it." She knew that was a sensitive subject. She rolled her eyes and waved at me, keys in hand.

Another thing-the fact that she's older by ONE YEAR means absolutely nothing. I am stronger and therefore I do what I please. Jordyn's whole thing was that there was supposedly only room for ONE princess in our household, and because she was 17 while I had just turned 16, she got to be it. I highly disagree. Let me just tell you, when push comes to shove, you play dirty. Jordyn knows I'm stronger, Jordyn knows I'm faster, Jordyn does NOT know how to blackmail, however-and as I we pulled into the La Push High parking lot, I was still teasing her about it.

"I swear you are twenty times more annoying in the morning." She murmured, her cheeks turning pink from the chill in the air. I rolled my eyes at her. We went through the front doors, me accidently brushing into someone.

"Sorry," I threw out absentmindedly.

"No problem." It was a deep, velvety voice, and even though my conscious told me to keep walking, I stopped dead in my tracks. Jordyn and I both stared at the massive figure loping down the hallway.

"Was that…"

"Jared Thail?" I finished.

Jared Thail? _The_ Jared Thail? I couldn't believe it. The kid had shot up a good 6 inches in one week, standing at least "6'6". His muscles were huge, temping…a little scary, even.

"Is he on steroids?" Katie laughed, having caught up to us. I turned to the fiery red head, her pale skin glowing.

"Obviously." I stated, waving them both off.

"He must be, too bad. I heard he was uhm…quite large." Jordyn smiled, winking at me. I swung at her with my French book, daring her to say another word. Jared had sat next to me in my fourth grade class, and in an act of bravery I had decided it was a good idea to profess my undying love to him.

Not the best idea.

I stared at my watch.

"Shit!" I cried, running down the hallway, Katie close behind. Jordyn waved at us as we fled, nearly late for History. Jared sat in the seat to my left like he did all year, Brady Purser in front of him. Brady was just as big as Jared was. Muscles, height, his stature was twice as scary due to that temper of his. Before, he could snap you in half with his two bare hands. Now, he could do it with one.

I slumped into my seat with Katie in front of me, watching as her curls over lapped down her back.

"Kate, you're gorgeous." I whined quietly with envy.

"Yeah she is." Brady's voice came out of nowhere. Katie's head snapped up. Jared, who's head was in his hands, followed suit. Katie and Paul looked like they'd both just seen an angel.

"Hi, Uhm…I, we…uhmm…Brady." He stuttered, the grin still plastered to his face.

"Katie." She whispered. I noticed Brady was shaking. Jared nudged him, which only made it worse.

"Brady." Jared said firmly. Brady closed his eyes and took a deep breath before standing up and leaving, Katie following his figure with hopeful eyes. She turned to face me when he was gone. I raised an eyebrow.

"Since when do you have a thing for Brady?" I asked slyly.

"Isn't he flawless?" she sighed, turning back around. My jaw hit the floor so hard that there would be a bruise for weeks.

"MR. THAIL." A voice boomed. Mr. Davens glared from underneath a sweep of black hair. Jared looked up innocently. "Your project?" Mr. Davens asked in annoyance. Jared just nodded and stood in front of the class.

The girls drooled and sighed with lust as Jared rambled on aimlessly, his eyes traveling the faces of our classmates, looking about the room, searching for anything that would give him ideas until his eyes met mine.

"It was highly important for…for…." He trailed off.

He was perfect. Beyond perfect. Perfect wasn't even good enough. The chiseled jaw, the dark, straight hair. Those eyes that felt like they were burning right through me. His perfect lips curved into a smile. I knew I had to be grinning like an idiot, too. The whole classed had turned to look at me, Mr. Davens clearing his throat more times than necessary. Jared finished quickly before practically sprinting back towards his seat.

"Hi." He breathed, not looking away from me. I could feel my cheeks getting hot under the weight of his look and did the first thing that came to mind-I looked away. Yep, that's right. I tore my eyes away from the God in front of me and stared down at a worksheet about Chinese prostitutes in the 1800's, because that was going to solve my problem.

I counted the seconds he continued to stare at me. The minutes. God damn, an entire half hour, and I wasn't even sure he blinked once.

"Mr. Thail, we are all well aware that Ms. Conweller is a beautiful young lady, but could you please focus for a tiny portion of class?" Jared looked pissed. Everyone in the class had turned to look at me, studying me, deciding whether or not they agreed with Davens' statement. If I wasn't blushing before, I was now, and it was bad. Jared wasn't one for listening, apparently, because his eyes never left the side of my face, not until the last second before the bell.


	2. Making FriendsWith Sasquatch's Dog

I rolled to my side and looked at the clock. 2:15 in the morning. I pulled on some sweatpants and stuffed my hair into a hoodie. The shoes I put on were ancient, but whatever. I slipped out the back door, walking down the street until I was a good block from the woods. About 12 acres of land had remained untouched since whoever founded La Push. Old cabins surrounded a medium-sized patch of concrete that stood out amongst the lush grass in the middle of the courtyard. I looked down, where little picture of owls and werewolves, made of colored stones had been set in. I traced my finger over a wolf. Its chocolate brown fur was beautiful, even in stone. I wanted to feel it for real, wanted to see one of these things that apparently watched over us as we slept and protected us from evil spirits.

I heard a branch snap behind me and whirled around. It was there. At the edge of the forest, them same wolf I'd just been tracing with my fingers was staring straight at me. I blinked. Then blinked again. Then blinked harder. Then got an eyelash stuck in my eye, and swatted at my face frantically like an idiot while the giant dog made ridiculous throaty noises that almost sounded like laughing. I was losing my mind. It was huge. Like, enormous. It had to be at least 7 feet tall on its hind legs. Dark-brown fur, matted by the rain, clung to its large body. It gave a slight growl and stepped forward.

Immediately I threw myself backwards, nearly cracking my head on the concrete. The wolf lurched forward as to help, only stopping to a halt when I screamed "No!" at it.

"Uh," I stumbled as it came closer. "What big claws you have?" The wolf started making more laughing noises. Was it listening to me? Maybe I NEEDED to bust my head on that god forsaken concrete. I chuckled nervously and backed away as it continued to come closer. I tried again. "My, what big teeth you have." The wolf pulled its lips back, like it was testing me, teasing me.

The wolf bowed its head slowly and continued moving forward, its face inches from mine.

"If you wanted to, you could tear me a part." I whispered. It nudged me with its cheek. "Please tell me you wouldn't." The wolf nudged me again. Its eyes were brown, large flecks of green littering the iris. I raised my hand to pet the dog, it quickly came closer and sat down in front of me, bowing its head even lower. I bit my lip before burying my face in its fur. It was so real, so breath taking, I felt the adrenaline pulsating through my system.

This was gonna be a story to tell my kids. _Gee Mom, tell us about the time you cuddled in the rain with Sasquatch's pet dog._ The wolf nudged me again, as I'd stopped petting it in my trance.

"Nudge," I smiled, stroking his fur. "That's your name. Is that okay?" I asked, staring at it. The wolf showed its teeth again before nuzzling into my chest, the rain soaking both of us.


	3. Pervy Teachers, Beaches, and LoveSongs

I woke up in my own bed. Was last night a dream? It couldn't have been. I was still in my drenched hobo clothes.

"So you had a dream about a friendly giant wolf?" Jordyn asked, giving me a doubtful look. Jared shifted uncomfortably, Paul too busy staring at Katie to notice.

"I don't know. Whatever. It was just a dream." I said quietly.

Jared and I walked out of the cafeteria as the bell rang.

"I believe you." He stated.

"What?"

"About the wolf thing. I believe you."

"Oh. Sorry, I just don't know if I believe myself, you know?"

"Enough with the heavy. You girls and a couple of the Quilette boys. Bonfire tonight. You're coming."

"A chance to play with the wolf boys? We wouldn't miss it!" I chirped, winking at him. He laughed loudly, throwing his head back when he did. Boy did I love that laugh.

"Hey, Kim?" he asked, sober now. I looked to him. "I…"

"Mr. Thail. Ms. Conweller." Mr. Davens interrupted, slinking down the hall. "Mr. Thail, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like a word with Kim."

Jared growled. Mr. Davens gave him a menacing look, but it was no match for Jared's glare.

"Sure!" I piped up, trying to defuse the tension. Jared furrowed his brow, but only after shooting me a look did he finally walk away. Mr. Davens turned to me with a sly smile.

"Ms. Conweller, I'd like to discuss your project. The one you turned in last week."

"What? Why? I did fantastic!"

"I know, but part of it was ruined, and I'd hate to see a deduction because of it. Why don't you come in Saturday, you can fix it in an hours time."

"Fine." I groaned. Mr. Davens gave me another grin that sent icicles down my spine.

"I look forward to seeing you." He chuckled.

I ran down the hallway, turning two corners and slamming into something hard. Ow. Double ow. A warm hand grabbed the small of my back, catching me as I fell. Jared towered over me, shaking.

"J-uhh…" he pulled me tight to him, forcing me to inhale his scent. It was like musk, rain, and woods all at the same time. I adored it instantly, taking a few more inhales than were necessary. Immediately I pressed myself even closer than I thought possible. His heat had me melting, and involuntarily I let out a slight moan as I breathed out. Gee, Kim, way to make yourself seem like a nympho. One whiff and you've lost yourself. Jared leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead before reminding me where I needed to be that night.

Jordyn pulled a pink tank top over her white bikini.

"That's insane, you think he wanted to kiss you forreal?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I still think you should say something to him." Katie smirked, stabbing at me with her bright green eyes. I threw a book at her. Elizabeth burst through the door, catapulting herself on top of my sister, her black waves flying wildly around her face. I laughed at the two as my sister tried to flee from our cousin's grasp. In seconds, Katie and Jordyn had been deemed the horsies for the day, Liz and I screeching "yee-haw"'s the entire way to the beach. I'm sure even the Founders were agitated in their graves as we woke the sleepy town with our laughter.

The second we were in the squishy sand, Jordyn tossed Liz effortlessly into the water, coming for me next. I squealed, running through the woods, Liz by my side and Katie chasing the both of us. We ran as fast as we could, our squeals filling the forest. It wasn't long before Brady and Jared had caught up to us and decided to join in our little game. I could hear their heavy footsteps close behind.

"Katie!" I laughed. She turned, only to catch eyes with Brady and immediately stop.

"Sorry babe! You're on your own!" she cheered, hopping onto Brady's back.

I ran still, Jared laughing as I threw everything from twigs to my own flip flop at him in an attempt to get away. I slid across the forest floor, burying myself in leaves as Jared loped by, shoving a few large branches out of his way into the clearing. I watched silently as he stood out on the open cliff, nothing but air and horizon and sunset surrounding him. I smiled to myself, exploding out of the trees and snatching his hand in mine, winking before I ripped us both off the edge of the cliff.

The water was bliss, like peace and wholeness and silence all wrapped into one environment. Jared's hand had lost mine long ago, but I felt weightless, untouchable. I was deep, way deep. I paddled my long legs to the surface, nearly there when a hot hand grabbed my arm. I was yanked out of the water with such extreme force, I so busy coughing and sputtering I hadn't noticed we were already to shore when I'd opened my eyes. I looked up to find the angry, beautiful pair of Jared's eyes staring down at me. There was something so odd, something weirdly familiar that made me want to reach out and run my fingers through his hair.

"Are you crazy? What if there were rocks down there? What if I hadn't found you? What if you had gotten hurt, risking leaving me here without you?" He reached his hand up to run his fingers through his hair, but I flinched anyways automatically.

Jared looked confused, then horrified. He silently made the realization as to why I winced as his hand went into the air. Immediately, he got on his knees, pulling me into a tight hug. I let him hold me, resting my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my back up and down.

"Oh God, Kim, I would never do it, I'm so sorry, I would never hit you, that wasn't to scare you it was just me rubbing my head I swear." He raised my face. "I'd never do anything like that. Especially hurt you." I nodded, heat flooding my cheeks. I'd felt so stupid, more embarrassed than anything. It wouldn't be soon before he started asking questions, before I had to talk about my Dad with him.

Everyone sat around the bonfire, chattering happily to themselves. Jared held me tightly the entire time, but he was being extra careful, as if not to scare me. When it was time to go, I insisted he let me walk home. Hell, I practically begged. I'd been wandering around La Push alone since I was 4, there was nothing new out there, nothing strange about these woods. It'd been about half an hour before I'd finally gotten tired enough to stop and sit down. Branches snapped behind me, but my movements weren't of panic, I already knew who it was.

"Nudge!" I smiled, waving my arm for him to come to me. He did so promptly. The beast huffed and flopped to the ground. I laid into him, stroking his for. Nudge let out another low growl. "What do you think buddy, should I tell him the bad news and get it over with?" I murmured. Nudge nodded slowly. He stood up and nuzzled me, meaning it was time to go. He followed me home, never leaving my side. At the edge of the trees Nudge gave me a loving lick.

"Ugh, jeez, cut it out." I teased, shoving him playfully.

Mom hadn't heard me come in, but it didn't stop her from asking questions. I answered them as any responsible teenager would-with wit-filled, smart ass comments, you know, the kind you use on those really long standardized tests at school. She rolled her eyes at me and patted the seat next to her on the couch, eyes glued to the T.V. as the newsmen prattled on about mysterious killings.

"So," she started, still staring at the television. "Liz tells me you have a certain eye for the Thail boy." I rolled my eyes immediately. Lizzy was gonna pay, big time. You could never tell that child anything, but she was only a year younger than me, what else could we do with her?

"Nah, no way." I lied.

"Isn't that the one you wrote that song for in the 4th grade?" Mom continued, ignoring me. I shook my head furiously, but she'd already started singing before I could shove a pillow down her throat. "_Roses are red, violets are blue, I think I have a crush on youuuu, The sun is yellow, the grass is green, I think you should have a crush on meeee…"_

"No, no, no, no!" I cried, waving my arms frantically in the air. I stormed into my room, slamming the door behind me as my 4th grade rhyming skills continued to haunt my soul.

"How was it?" Jordyn asked sweetly, peeking up from her magazine. I shrugged, knowing full well that if I told her I'd spent most of my walk talking to a giant dog she probably would've thrown me out the window FIRST to ensure HER safety, THEN go get Mom. She rolled her eyes at my lack of answer. I felt bad for not being honest, Jordyn and I spent our lives telling each other everything, but this time she'd have to pout it out. I was not budging.

I crawled under the covers, staring at the ceiling and wondering how long it would be until I got to see Jared again. I shook the thoughts out of my head. If I focused on it now, I would literally count the seconds, and that would mean no sleep for ya soul sister right here.

…Cut me some slack, I'm still feeling slightly nauseous due to that hideous elementary school memory, and I need sleep. Badly.


	4. Taken

I knocked quietly on the doorway of Mr. Davens' classroom. He smiled, looking a little too happy to see me.

"Ahh! Ms. Conwelle-Kim. Ready for some Saturday fun?" he asked, closing the door behind me. I threw my things in my usual seat. "I thought maybe we could go out to lunch, when you finished I mean."

I couldn't stop myself from shooting him a look. Lunch? I was here to fix a project for some damn History credit, not discuss the wonder of George Washington over salads.

"Wasn't I just here to fix a project?" I asked. His face fell slightly before he nodded.

"Don't be so shy!" he pressed.

"Whatever. Where's my stuff?" I asked as patiently as I could manage.

"See," he murmured, locking the door. "Your project is flawless, Kim. Much like yourself." I backed away as he took a few steps forward.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean your project is perfect, nothing needed. It wasn't really ruined, you see. I thought you'd just appreciate some alone time." I looked at the window. Locked. Shades pulled down. Damn it all.

"Why would I appreciate alone time with a teacher?" I said, trying to keep a level façade. _Show no fear._ Dad's words echoed in my head. "Isn't that illegal or something?"

"Of course not, Kim," Davens laughed, moving closer to me. "I always thought of you and I as…different from your average neighbors."

"Everyone in this town are neighbors." I grumbled, shooting him another look.

"Aren't we different, Kim? Aren't we?" There was fury in his eyes now, like I was speaking to a completely different person than I had all year. His eyes were turning red, bright red, as if the black in his eyes was dissolving in acid. I shivered as an icy finger was traced up my arm. He was freezing. More than freezing, he was like dry ice. "It's Jared, isn't it?" He asked, furious with my lack of response. I shook my head, afraid to answer.

I waited until he'd circled me, brushing a strand of hair away from the back of my neck. I made a run for the door, but he grabbed me, ripping open the top button of my shirt. I headbutted him, jerking away and barely managing to wrench myself free. I shot towards my bag, for my phone. I grabbed it, immediately punching the J on the keypad. Jared Thail had lived three blocks down from this school since he was 14. Mr. Davens grabbed my ankle, sending me, and my poor LG Optimus, flying. How the hell was he moving so quickly?At this rate, I didn't stand a chance. I hit the wall hard, my head catching the side of his desk.

I was being dragged to the car, no screaming, no thrashing, no amount of anything I could do was going to get me out of this. I tried the door, grabbing at the handle.

"I wouldn't." he growled, setting a pistol on his lap. I stayed quiet, my vision getting blurrier and blurrier by the second. He was drooling, almost, staring at my neck and swerving around the road all at the same time.

"I need a hospital." I breathed, grabbing my throbbing head. Davens shook his head, smiling, almost to himself.

"No need. I'll fix you, Kim. I promise."

I waited, watching the trees go by, my head pounding. I could hear my own heart beating inside my ears. The house numbers were getting larger, more and more cars becoming recognizable as we inched towards Jared's home. In a flash, I threw open the door and ripped off the seat belt, nearly making it before Davens yanked me by the shorts, throwing me into the back seat, the gun going off in 12 different directions at once. There was no more light after that, or sound. Black ink was seeping over my vision, I was getting sleepy.

He drug me out by the elbow, my body hitting the rough dirt, snapping my eyes open. I let him sling me across the forest floor and into a small cabin, nearly empty except for a small kitchen and large bed. A fire place sat by the door. I rolled, dodging his right fist, but his left came down on my right hand, crushing it. He spat in my direction before pacing the kitchen, murmuring to himself. He was insane. Literally. He walked back and forth like a madman, one second smiling at me like a proud groom, the next hissing in my direction, threatening to slit my throat, even sniffing it a few times, running his nose up the side of my throat like there was something in there calling to him.

If I was lucky, God would kill me. This would be over in seconds, I would be struck down, mauled by some bear, a random heart attack-anything to get me out of this nightmare. I thought of all the times I should've told Jordyn my secrets, all the times I'd taken Mom's drill-sergeant behavior too personally. I wanted to see them. I wanted to see Jared.

"Your friend," he whispered, laying on the floor next to me. I couldn't move. Or breathe. "Your friend, I have seen him. Seen him and the Brady boy, both of them, with Uley. Sam and the Brady boy, Brady boy and Jared…" he went on aimlessly, talk of werewolves and spirits and vampires echoing throughout the wooden walls as I waited to die, tears streaming down my face silently. "There are others, you know. I had no idea, no idea they existed, thought them impossible. Hunting, just hunting and I caught your scent and I couldn't leave, couldn't leave my Kim," he ran is tounge along my jaw as I whimpered quietly. "Need to kill, to feast, but if i lost you I'd die, Kim, I."

I begged for SOMETHING, a jolt of adrenaline to get me the hell out, or an incurable disease to kill me in seconds. Just then, the front door exploded, Jared Thail standing in its place. He looked furious. Worse than furious. I was sure that if I hadn't been potty trained for years I would've pissed myself at the sight of him.

There was crashing, screaming, howling. The sound of splitting wood and breaking bone. Yelling, all echoed in the background. There was heat, pressure on my newly broken hand, sweat, crying, blood, dirt. The trees were moving again, this time faster than before, soft wool beneath my fingers. Was this what dying was like? Was this it, then? Was I never going to see my sister, my cousin, Katie, Mom-were they out of my grasp forever and me out of theirs? What would the police tell them? That it was an animal attack? Or would the truth come out, would there be an uproar in tiny La Push? I closed my eyes, letting whatever may come take me.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi, guys! Just wanted to say that I love the reveiws favorites I'm getting, I'm glad to hear you love the story! Just wanted to let you all know that I've started a series called the Pack Chronicles, following most of the wolves and their Imprints. Seth's is already up for the most part, so while you're waiting for updates on this one-check the other out! XOX.**


	5. I Am The The Queen of Dumbass Ideas

I woke up in my own bed again. What? WHAT? This was getting out of hand, way out of hand. I started going through the list of prescription drugs for sleep issues when something hot shifted besides me. When I say hot, I mean practically scorching, like staying out in the sun to long. I shifted my body with a groan, feeling pain wash over my ribs. My wrist was wrapped tightly in gauze. I felt no pain in it, maybe because when I rolled over, it was rested on the heat of Jared Thail.

His dark eyes stared angrily at the ceiling as he stroked the chocolate strands of hair away from my shoulders. If he knew I was awake, he didn't care enough to move.

"Jared?" I asked softly. "Jared, what happened?" His eyes fell to me when I said his name the second time. He never answered, just pulled me closer and closed his eyes. "Jared." I said again, more firmly this time.

"You fell and hit your head." He said flatly, looking at me again. I looked up at his dark brown eyes, trying to remember where I'd seen them. Why was he always so familiar?

"Don't lie." I objected. Jared slid out of the bed and started heading for the window.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. They found you outside school and all, so I saw the ambulances."

"Jare-" he was already gone. I looked at the clock. 11:30. Mom had gone to bed already, and there wasn't going to be anything good on T.V., I knew that much. Where did Jared Thail have to be at 11:30 on Saturday night anyway? If there'd been some party or something, I would've heard about it. I bit my lip. I wasn't supposed to be a bad girl.

As I trudged through the rain, my mind was racing. If it was all true, the Quileute legends were true, Mr. Davens was a vampire. A Cold One, something risen from the dead, an abomination-almost everyone down here hated the idea of them, especially the adults. I just had to figure out how it connected to me. Why Davens had been rambling about Jared and Brady, about how he didn't think they'd even existed.

I traced my finger across one of the stone carvings in the ground, my side sticking to the sopping wet concrete. With my bad hand, I ended up touching the wolf again. I wanted him to come to life, I wanted Nudge, that's what I wanted. Something snapped in the trees and as I shot up, the corner of my wrist caught the cobblestone, a thick trail of red streaming down my arm. The air was thick and hot. Branches. Snap. More Movement. I turned. It wasn't Nudge. It wasn't even Jared, it was two... Two inhumanly beautiful pale men, crimson red eyes gleaming against the moon.

"Well if it isn't one of the wolf girls." One murmured. Wolf girl? "I can smell him all over you." I stared down at the brown cobblestone animal, now covered in red splotches.

"Be nice, Nialler. Don't spoil dinner again." I'd blinked once, and it was inches away from my face. I closed my eyes. _Legends. Legends._ I thought to myself. _You know what they are, what they can do. Fear is taken out of the equation. Face it. Take it._

Arm raised. Fangs drawn. I was thrown halfway across the grounds, landing against a Totem pole, my hip grazing more concrete.

"Go now," Nialler said slyly, winking. "We'll give you twenty seconds to run."


	6. The Wolf Girls

Did I run, you ask? Of course I ran, what the hell do you take me for? I scrambled to my feet, heading for the woods. They were most definitely quicker than I thought. I counted to 20 in my head, praying I'd be able to get far enough to live. Not so much. I could hear their sinister laughter behind me.

Again, I was propelled through the air, hundreds of feet before I collided with a mass of brown fur. Gracefully, it twisted, taking my landing and standing again so that I was underneath it's massive body unscathed.

"Jared!" I yelled, having caught a glimpse of his chocolate eyes, the green flecks in them even more vivid now that I was up close. Instinctively, the wolf turned its head at the name. So it _was_ him My heart stopped.

The two vampires stopped in front of us. Nialler looked smart enough to run, the other two, now with a female companion, looked like they were ready to pounce, too drawn to the blood running down my shoulder from a previous fall. Jared let out a menacing growl, inconspicuously nudging me with his back leg, a sign for me to go. As I started to move, the blonde woman charged so quickly that I was surprised Jared could keep up with her. He kicked, pushing me backwards and jumping, colliding with the girl in mid-air.

She was everywhere, biting at his neck, arms, back, until she finally sunk her teeth into his shoulder. As the two wrestled, the other, Nailler, charged like she did, only his death was prompt. Jared had him in seconds, tearing it's head off with the sound of crashing cars and ripping metal. I scurried away, hoping to evade the blonde woman's attention, but I was nowhere near good enough. She nipped at my ankles, her fang grazing the skin of my leg-leaving a pain so inhumanly severe I screeched in pain, dropping to the ground immediately.

Jared let out a long, low howl before pouncing at the two remaining leeches, nothing but snapping and screeching and hissing filling my ears. GOD, why was I so stupid? _OH GEE, LET'S TAKE A WALK IN THE RAIN, THE SAME DAY YOUR VAMPIRE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER TRIES TO KIDNAP AND EAT YOU. God, Kim why? _Before I knew it, we weren't alone. A large, slinking, grey wolf tumbled into the patch of forest, knocking over one of Jared's attackers, another, MUCH bigger, black wolf taking over the blonde. That left me in all my glory, screaming in the dirt while my werewolf stalker/newfound buddy stared at me hopelessly.

It literally felt like I was on fire. Like someone had just jammed a hair straightener into my ankle. I clawed at the wound but it had already vanished, sealing whatever the toxin was in my veins. I was so busy squirming and biting my own tongue, trying not to get us into any more trouble with my screaming that I hadn't realized Jared was human again, and accompanied by Paul Silo and Sam Uley. What? WHAT? God, I really needed some Aspirin.

I let Jared scoop me into his arms, not that I really had a choice at this point, you know, with my searing veins and what not. We were at Sam's in minutes, me sprawled out on their kitchen table.

"We have to bleed her out, Sam. I don't know any other way to do it." A woman cried. Sam nodded. Jared screamed no in the background. My ears were getting fuzzy, my vision blurring. I couldn't think. Or speak, on my own accord. There was a sharp object being drug up my leg, tearing me a part almost, the warmth of my own blood coating my skin. Suddenly I could feel again, I could move, the fire fading from my toes and out the way it had come.

When I was finally able to move again, I looked down. A small woman, her tan, skinny fingers nimbly working at stitching my wound, was hovering over my leg, occasionally brushing the hair out of her face. Emily... Ol' Emily what's-her-face, that's what everyone called her at school at least. It isn't that we didn't _want _to know her, she was too pretty for that, everyone knew her by face and first name-it was just that no one _got _to know her well enough to catch her last name, partially because no matter what you did, you couldn't help but sneak a peek at the left side of her face. While the right was utterly gorgeous, framed with silky black hair, the left had been marred, thick, long, scars running from her forehead to the bottom of her jaw, pulling her lips just the slightest bit downward.

"Oh good, you're awake." She smiled. "How do you feel?"

"Wet." I grumbled, slipping off my hoodie. She laughed at my boldness, handing me a t-shirt.

"I'm glad, it could've been much, much worse."

"Need me to take you home?" Sam asked as quietly as possible, leaning against the doorframe. I was about to answer when Emily interrupted me.

"No, Sam! Don't make her leave, please?" she pouted. "I need another girl around here." Sam looked like a kid in a candy store, nodding his head furiously.

"No, no, of course she can stay! She can sleep in the guest room, we'll kick Jared out-not that he's not in enough trouble with his Mom already-"

"Where is he?" I asked, sounding a little more desperate than I had intended. Sam jabbed a thumb upstairs.

"Go get dressed, we'll send him up. He uh…he needed to cool down a bit."

I slid off the table, pausing before I made my way up the staircase.

"So it's true?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at them. "All of it's true, the werewolves and vampires. And Jared's a part of it?" Sam nodded, Emily giving me a look that almost seemed apologetic. I laughed softly before making my way into the guest room.

"A little weird, that one." Sam murmured as I left.

I stood in front of the wooden vanity in Emily's guest room. My hair was no longer nice and straight, just a wild mass of waves that flew around my face, which was covered in a layer of dirt. Jared came through the doorway, eyes darker than usual. He was silent as he slowly made his way across the room, holding me from behind.

"Ja-"

"I thought I was gonna lose you." He whispered huskily. I closed my eyes and leaned my head onto his left shoulder. His breath washed over my ear, stopping just below it. He was hesitating. But to do what? I leaned my head slightly left, looking up at him. Slowly, his lips brushed against my neck. I tightened my grip on his arms as he trailed them up and down my skin. He went lower, across the brim of my right shoulder, then lower, until his lips met the blood that stuck to me.

His muscles tensed, and I straightened up, slightly looking over my shoulder at him. His right hand pulled down the back of my shirt, easily tearing it in half, letting it fall over my shoulders. Jared ran a hot finger over the large gash. I slowly turned to face him, catching a tear as it fell down his perfect face.

"Lucas is dead," he croaked. "Lucas Gambio. He was going to college next year...We were on patrol, that's the only reason I was able to get to you so quickly. There were more than those two tonight, they could've found you Kim." I stepped closer, my skin burning. I felt magnetized to him, I wanted to stick and never have him leave. Electricity buzzed between us, as if any contact would zap us both to death.

Jared wound his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer anyways. He had no shirt on, and let me tell you, I was one happy camper.

"Does it hurt?" I asked quietly. He shook his head no as I trailed my finger down the length of a deep cut that ran down his chest, letting my finger linger on his abs. I always did love my men a little rough around the edges…

"Here?" I choked out. "You're bleeding."

"So are you." He muttered darkly, ripping open the front of my tank top. He was right. I hadn't even noticed it earlier, but a small scrape skimmed momentarily over my chest. He pulled me into him, giving me another chance to inhale that yummy scent of his.

"Who are you?" I murmured into his chest. Jared moved away from me quickly, earning a confused look.

"But-"

"Stay here." He said, wiping his cheek. "Lay down." He ordered. I did so, too sleepy to argue with him or myself. I mean what the hell was I doing? I'd known the kid since birth, and now all the sudden we were giving each other sponge baths? Of course, our circumstances were much, MUCH different than your average couples. I blushed at my own thoughts. Were we a couple? I mean some of the things he'd said were so…possessive. The idea was like striking gold. Kim Thail. Yummy.

I shifted so I wouldn't have to lean on my shoulder as he looked over my body, a pained expression on his face. He started on my thigh, doing just as I'd silently wished he would, gentle, sweet…The wounds hurt worse as he moved upwards, from the one across my stomach to the scratch on my chest. I turned on my stomach, waiting for the one that would _really_ be painful-and it was. I bit my tongue, refusing to worsen our pain. When my body was free of blood, I stayed face-down, wondering if he'd end up cuddling me when I fell asleep. _Please do._ I thought to myself.

"You didn't let me get your face." He murmured softly. Quite frankly, I looked a hot ass mess and would've preferred if he'd let me stay face-down, but I rolled over like a good girl, letting him silently go to work as he crawled over me, resting on his elbow. The water was hot against my cheek but I didn't take my eyes off of him, the same way he didn't take his off mine.

I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins quicker than it had in the woods, and I wanted him. I wanted Jared Thail more than I'd wanted anything else in the world, I would give both arms, both legs, whatever the hell any random hobo on the street could want-I'd give it if it meant Jared Thail would kiss me. He inched forward, my body acting on its own accord. After all, it was like I was linked to him, monkey see, monkey do, right? It wasn't my fault if my hormones were raging, wasn't my fault if I felt the sudden urge to wrap my legs around his waist an anchor him to me, never letting go. He bit his lip, tossing the washcloth in the bowl behind me. Talk about bad luck. I felt every muscle in my body recoil, rejection rushing over me. I took a deep breath, trying to drown whatever pit was forming in my chest, trying to mask it all up and silence it to soften the sting.

"You're sleeping here tonight," he said softly, unattached. He was completely dejected. Emotionless. "Emily can cover for you." I stared at the ceiling, clenching my jaw in frustration, trying not to let him see me cry. I flinched as the door closed harder than necessary.

I threw on one of Sam's oversized sweaters, closing the dresser drawer as quietly as possible. No one was awake yet, not even Jared. There was an ice cold chill behind the morning air as I stepped outside, but I took a deep breath anyway, begging it to wash out whatever feelings I'd had last night. So close, I'd been so close, all for nothing. Even if the sun had come out of its slumber today and the birds were chirping in the open field, I felt heavy.

"You're not staying for breakfast?" I stopped dead in my tracks, turning slowly to face Emily as she stood bundled in a comforter three times her size. She looked sad, lonely, almost. Fuck. That was right, she was the only wolf girl until I'd come along. Great. Guilt-trips.

"My Mom, she's probably gonna freak out if I'm not home."

"Even if I call? I can cover for you today, too, if you'd like." I bit my lip, hesitating before finally giving in.

Em passed me a muffin, sitting across from me.

"So how'd you find out?" I asked her, taking a bigger bite than I should've.

"That is a VERY interesting story," she laughed. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Sam was very forward in his theory of me being 'The One'. Eventually, he just came out with it. I didn't believe him, of course. It broke my little heart to think I'd found the perfect man and he'd turned out to be insane. That was, until I got this," she pointed to her face, chunks of muffin flying across the table as I tried to gasp while chewing. "I'd told my Dad I wasn't going to California with him," she murmured, laughing nervously. "I was 18, it was only two years ago but I was in love-there was no telling me I was wrong. Luckily, I wasn't. Sam had come to get me when he saw the family screaming match. After my Dad had left, I told him all that had happened and he was so furious it just…I didn't even know how to react. He was shaking, like a seizure, and then all of the sudden he exploded, this giant…._thing_ standing in his place. I thought I'd gone crazy, of course-and I hadn't even though to move out of the way."

"What happened?"

"We told them it was a bear, that I'd gone on a walk to clear my head and it wound up attacking when it'd seen me. Sam felt horrible, of course. Wouldn't even talk to me for weeks, but I wasn't surprised. I almost expected it, I mean who could love someone with such a face? But eventually, after a while, he came back, explained everything. I got the whole Imprint speech, you know-"

"Imprint speech? Why would I know about the Imprint speech?" I asked, shifting in my chair. Emily shot me a confused look.

"Imprints," she said again, as if trying to jog my memory. "You know, a shifter looks into that one girl's eyes and it's like he's bound to her, tied to her forever. His entire world literally revolves around her, he would do anything for her, be anything for her. She has his heart in a handbag, basically. I thought you'd know by no-"

"MORRRRRRNINGGGGGGG." Sam cheered, striding into the kitchen awkwardly.

"No wait, hey I was listening to her!" I objected.

Emily's explanation was cut off by his series of hugs and kisses, nearly suffocating her in that oversized blankie of hers. "SOOOO, WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST?" Sam stared at us, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"I uhm, it's probably time for me to be heading home anyway…" I murmured, shoving the last of my muffin down my throat.

"You might wanna wait for Jared, he wouldn't want you to-"

"No, I'm fine, really. I know my way around."

"Kim I REAAAAALLLY think you should wait for Jared."

"Sam I REAAAAALLLY think he'll be fine without me."

"But will _you_ be fine without _hi-_okay, okay…" he trailed off, raising his hands in defense as I shot him a deadly glare. "Just be careful, okay? At least take the truck," he murmured, tossing me the keys. "It's Em's, I'll pick it up later." I raised an eyebrow at the keys, and then him before shrugging and striding out the door.


	7. Did They Teach This In Gym Class?

"He won't talk about it," Emily frowned as I asked her about Jared. "Of course he always asks about you, but the second me or Sam says your name he gets all funky." Funky? FUNKY? A week ago, I had our entire wedding planned out. And now, my name was tainted with funk? Tool. Super tool. Uber tool plus one. Speak of the Devil….

"Anything new?" Em asked hopefully as Sam waltzed into the living room, Jared towing behind him.

"Nope. Paul Silo, he's the only other we've got right now."

"Paul?" I asked, nearly falling out of my chair. Paul Silo? Out of all the boys to turn into a wolf-man, Paul was not on my list of maybe's. Of course he did have the whole cocky attitude thing down, he'd screwed half the girls in La Plush….some of them over 30. I shuddered as the thought of Paul trailing his nastiness around the forest fled through my mind.

Emily laughed as I collected my dignity and continued to help her fold clothes, one of Jared's oversized shirts at the top of the pile. Instinctively, I brought it to my face and inhaled slightly, forgetting that he was four inches away, and staring. Sam had paused mid-bit of his apple, looking at me somewhat cockeyed. Jared looked like he'd just been fatally injured, and as Emily awkwardly slid the shirt out of my hands I gave a nervous chuckle.

"So…anyways….thanks for letting me take the car the other night, Sam." I smiled. He nodded his head, shoving the apple in the side of his cheek.

"No problem kiddo." He said with a muffled tone. Jared's expression changed in a quick second, suddenly angry.

"_You_ gave her the car?" he demanded. Sam nodded, a questioning look on his face. "You knew I would be pissed, you knew I wanted to-"

"What the hell is going on again?" I asked quietly. "Why does it matter?"

"I wanted to take you home."

"And I wanted to do the dirty last week in Em's guest room, but that didn't work out too well either."

Emily burst into fits of laughter as Sam's jaw hit the floor.

"Boy, she's a bold one…" he murmured.

"You're mad because we didn't have sex." Jared said flatly, staring at me incredulously.

"Kidding, kidding, but really, until you quit being a baby, we will not be friends-and I will not drop the subject."

"HOW AM I-"

"I've known you for how many years now, and all the sudden you turn into some stalker werewolf man and visit me every time I take a trip to the woods? Nudge, you think I don't know who you are? Then you save me _twice_, I'm sorry if it's such a burden, but I don't understand why you would even bo-" I cut myself off, my own thoughts jogging my memory. They all waited, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changing drastically. I looked to Emily, the pit forming in my chest again. It was ice cold, stretching along my chest and seeping through my skin, my muscles, washing down my body until I felt completely covered. "The Imprint."

Sam and Emily exchanged looks, slowly backing out of the room as Jared and I stared each other down.

"What would you know about an Imprint?"

"Emily told me it was a bond. Like, he needs her to live or something."

"And?"

"If you had saved me because we were friends…things would be different now. Not like this," I murmured, inching towards him. "If we were friends, we'd be closer. Here." I was centimeters away from him, his leaning on the counter only making his face a few inches higher than mine. "Like this."

"But we aren't." he said, jaw clenching.

"Exactly. Which only leaves one more option." Jared gave me a confused look as my breath picked up. "I'm your Imprint." He didn't argue with my statement, just looked as though he wanted to snap me in half.

"What did Emily tell you?"

"You only saved me because if I wasn't here, you wouldn't be either. They're made in pairs, right? That's what I'm guessing? Someone lucky enough gets a werewolf or something? Someone with the right blood? And Sam said you guys protected people from them, the Cold Ones. Vampires. You protect all of us. He said some of the girls were born with certain genes, certain blood that needed extra care. He didn't tell me why, just said it was really important that the two find each other." I moved closer than I thought possible. "You saved me because you didn't have a choice."

I waited for his argument, for him to say no and sweep me off my feet. Electricity was in the air again, burning me, begging me to fall into him and never move. _Please._ My insides were screaming for him, refusing to let me move from my spot. I needed him. Oh my God, I need him so badly.

"Exactly," he growled, shoving away from me. I wiped my eyes before he could see them, clenching my jaw. "I'm stuck with you and you're stuck with me, that's it. I'm just here to protect you. To protect our friends and family." I nodded, his words bleeding into my skin like poison. I would've taken the venom again over this pain.

"So that's it then," I said softly. "You're free and so am I."

"What do you mean fre-"

"We have a problem." Sam boomed, hustling back into the room. Emily threw the phone into the still-full laundry basket. "Paul's mom just called, he lost it again."

"Looks like another person knows the secret." Brady murmured, rolling his eyes.

"That isn't it," Jared interjected, suddenly sober again. "I've been thinking…Davens was here for months, we should've been able to sniff him out immediately."

"Yeah, how was he able to last this long? I mean it makes sense, the timing is all right for our changing but really? And how'd he even manage to get that close to Kim? It makes my blood boil, to be honest." Brady growled. I gave him a sweet smile. He and Katie had been practically joined at the hip since that day in class, meaning we were suddenly best friends as well. He was protective, sweet, like the older brother I'd wished for, winding up with Jordyn instead.

"That's the problem. We have vampires running savagely around La Push like it's no problem."

"Wait…." I murmured, everyone turning to me. "Davens had said he never even knew you all existed, that he'd seen Jared and Brady in the woods one day with Sam. They didn't even know you all existed until a few weeks ago."

"So now what?"

"My best guess? They kill you all off, or at least try to. You're the only thing standing between them and us." I admitted, a dagger shoving its way through my heart as an image of a dead Jared Thail flashed through my mind. It was like being broken in half and having people expect you to continue living. How would I do that, anyway? Even with the painful knowledge of our "platonic" bond, I still felt the need to be around him, to have him near 24/7.

"We should draw them out." Brady suggested. "Make them come to us, you know? They tried to use Kim against us before, so let's use their own tactics against them."

"Bait…" I murmured, everyone's eyes locking on me. "I'm helping." I said immediately. This wasn't happening without me. Being left in the dark while the anchor to my soul was out in the woods playing hide-n-seek with a bunch of leeches? No way.

"Hell no." Jared shot, shaking his head furiously. I rolled my eyes, a humorless laugh escaping my lips.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Oh right, my protector. I shook my head. "I'm helping. There's nothing else that's gonna draw them out more than your Imprint, Jared, they know that."

"Then I'm coming too."

"What?"

"Sam, I can do this." Emily pleaded, staring into his eyes. Sam wavered under her look and I studied them, trying to figure out why they got to be so close when Jared wouldn't even let me touch him anymore. He was weak for her, almost like he was about to sink to his knees under her stare. I turned to Jared, pressing just as hard as Emily, making my eyes as wide as possible.

"Jared, please." His demeanor changed immediately, and the brandish, cocky, boy that had been standing in front of me looked like a lost puppy, all light gone from his eyes. He was backing down, I could feel it, my influence over him was unnatural but strong. He shook away the haze I'd set on him, covering his face with his massive hands.

"Fine." He murmured, not looking at me as he left the room for a moment. "Fine."

I smiled and winked at Emily. So we were in, this was it.

"We'll go to the forest," I started, the wolves' full attention on me. "That's like their hideout, or something, but they're always there looking for food. It's a quiet place to kill, harder to find the bodies-"

"Kim…"

"Sorry Sam, trying to make this as painless as possible. We'll go there. We'll wait. I guarantee they'll pick up our scent, there's no way they could miss it right?" Sam nodded, sadly but surely, Emily wrapping her arms around him for comfort.

"We'll be alright." She whispered softly, planting a kiss on his lips. Brady looked like an orphan.

"You miss Katie, huh?" I asked, smiling at him. He nodded sadly. Poor thing, they hadn't seen each other in 30 whole minutes. I patted him on the back before holding my hand out to Emily, who took it softly, giving Sam one last look.

"Kim?" I turned at the sound of my name, pausing in the doorway. Jared looked so conflicted, like a little kid watching his house burn down-unsure of whether to run inside or wait for help. I didn't want to drag it out any longer, didn't want to get another lecture, so as he stood there in silence, I gave him one last look and turned away.

The night was colder than I'd expected, and poor Emily was shivering by the end of the hour.

"Think we're far enough?" I grumbled bitterly. When I'd said 'bait' earlier, I thought perhaps we'd sit in the front yard and wait for them to come to us, but NOOOOO, we have to walk HALF WAY ACROSS THE FOREST…

We both whirled as a twig snapped behind us. Paranoia. Nerves.

"Kim," Emily whispered, looking at her tiny hands. "What if we're too far?" I knew exactly what she'd meant. What if they couldn't get to us in time, what if we actually _did_ wind up on the 6 o'clock news, our body parts littered across the forest-and now, to make my nerves worse, she was speaking in riddles, too fearful the leeches could hear us to actually come out and say it.

"We aren't too far for a little jog." I whispered, trying to give an encouraging smile. I didn't think it was working too well.

"Em," I murmured, a rush of honesty coming over me. I couldn't take it anymore. "Why doesn't Sam treat you like Jared treats me?" I asked. Emily paused for a moment and wrinkled her nose.

"I…I don't know. Me and Sam work different than you and Jared. It's never the same for every…pair…" she coughed. "Maybe you should-"

"I can't talk to him," I admitted. "He's too angry, to strong-willed."

"And you don't think you can break him? I saw what you did back there, you observed and you adapted. You know how strong your hold is."

"Emily it's like he doesn't even…I don't know. I thought the whole Imprint thing was like…soul mates….you know, I mean it would have to be, with such a strange relationship. When Sam told me that we were special, I thought maybe it was because we were perfect matches or something…But in reality it's just a protection detail. The relationship is an option."

Emily looked like she was struggling, fighting with herself to choose the right words.

"Kim, if I'm honest, you have to promise not to tell. Jared has to tell you eventually, when you're on your own but you-" she stopped short, the air around us becoming ice cold. What had once been a mask of bravery and preparation was now fear, blatant, pure, fear on Emily's face. I bit my lip, taking in a deep breath and grabbing hold of her hand. We had to play along.

"We need to leave." I said quickly, looking around. They hadn't come yet. But they were on their way. Emily stood, taking me up with her. We only made it two inches before one showed up.

This one didn't speak, her fiery red curls reminding me of Katie for a moment. She looked like a doll, the kind people collected and put on shelves instead of having kids of their own. Emily whirled behind me as another emerged, his skin a pale grey in the moonlight, his blonde curls the same color as Davens'. They circled us, staring us up and down.

"These two might be nice," the girl murmured, her voice ringing in my ears. "Riley, what do you think?"

"They smell too badly, Love. Something is odd about these too. Very odd. But who's to say they wouldn't make for an excellent meal?"

"Do you know what we are?" The woman teased, slinking towards us. I backed away, itching at the stitches on my leg. This was going to be bad. Where the hell were those four anyways? Jared and Brady should've gotten Paul by now, Sam should've been bounding through the trees.

Suddenly, the redhead hissed, fleeing the scene, the blonde boy smirking before he left as well.

"Do take care of these two." He called into the forest, disappearing.

"Who was he talking to?" Emily asked, scanning the darkness around us. I bit my lip.

"You want the good news, or the bad news?" We were back to back, her side must've been bare because her reaction remained calm.

"Good news."

"The good news is, I know _exactly _who he's talking to. The bad news is, they'll probably kill us before I get a chance to tell you." I stared into the faces of several vampires who'd crowded around us, thirsty, mad-looking, some of them even foaming at the mouth. "Em, close your eyes." I ordered, her breath growing ragged behind me, her sobbing quiet. I squeezed her hand and closed my own. They were not going to get here in time. Not at all. I felt myself bobbing up and down, jumping almost, like shaking out jitters before a big volleyball game or something.

"Sam, I love you." Emily whispered behind me. I bit my lip.

"Jared, I hate you. And I love you."

There was a loud ripping noise, and a roar echoed through the air.

"YESS! BOOYAH!" I cried, snapping my eyes open. The circle of leeches that had surrounded us were now horror-struck, being ripped a part before our very eyes. I started dancing, shaking my butt around when something hard hit the small of my back. It was a hand. It tumbled to the ground, pale, long, fingers still twitching. Em screeched, stumbling backwards, me catching her before she had a chance to hit the ground and get us in even _more_ trouble.

I wrapped my arms around her as she curled up in a ball and cried at the scene in front of us. Oh, boy…perhaps she wasn't as ready for this as we'd all hoped she was. I covered her face, stroking her hair.

"Hey, look , it's Sam." I whispered to her. Her head snapped up, and immediately she was entranced with the beast before her, no longer paying attention to the gory events around us. She watched as the moonlight streaked his shiny, black fur, her eyes never looking away.

"He's beautiful." She murmured. I nodded, my eyes locked on Jared. They _were_ beautiful, that was for sure. Never in my life had I seen anything like them-so huge and graceful at the same time.

As he tumbled into the trees my eyes were drawn to the pale beings _next_ to the scene, as if this moment of ass-kicking didn't apply to them whatsoever.

"Ahh, Em….hey, Embo….EMILY, WE NEED TO LEAVE." I ripped her to her feet and took off through the trees, completely ignoring the plans of "staying close". Staying close would've gotten us ALL chopped up for dinner, thank you very much, and I did not intend on dying at 16 and a half years old.

Of course they followed us, who _wouldn't_ want to chase after us goddess-like beings as we stumbled through the trees, swearing and tripping over ourselves the entire way? The wolves kept up, and it was like a moving food chain was rushing past the trees, the boys trying to catch whomever they could in the back, meaning less attackers for us. How we were able to outrun them even with the boys' help, I will never know. Hell no I wasn't a track star, I mean I was fast, but not _THAT_ fast. I guess you get used to running for your life after a few good times.

I was dying, no I was _laughing_, picturing what we must look like-one of those really old, super cheap video games where everything was pixelated and everyone wore pissed-off Japanese expressions. Emily glanced at me cock-eyed as I nearly tumbled to my knees roaring with laughter. I was just so desperate to get away AND pay attention to how this was playing out at the same time that I couldn't help it, I felt like a movie star, like I'd been whining about something exciting happening my entire life and when I'd finally got it, ended up being nearly executed.

"They aren't leaving!" Emily cried as we burst into her front yard. I nodded and drug her up the porch, nearly slinging her into the house. I slammed the door behind me, shoving her towards the other room as wood splintered against my side-they were THAT damn close to us? I turned, seconds before a leech reached for my face, Jared crashing through the wall and ripping him away from me in the knick of time. I followed Emily up the stairs, my legs and chest begging for a rest.

There was crashing, screeching downstairs as Emily and I stood readied next to the window should anything happen. Seconds later it was silent. Dead silent. Eerie almost, like I nearly would've preferred the roaring wolves over it. Emily and I exchanged looks as I inched towards the door, pausing with my hand on the knob. I pressed my ear against the door.

"I think they're gone," I whispered. Whoops, spoke too soon. The door exploded, a fist punching through inches away from my face. "NOPE NOPE NOPE NEVERMIND." I yelled, nearly shoving her out the window and onto the roof. We scrambled to its peak, unsure of where to go next. We were running out of options, quickly.

"Kim." Emily breathed, horror seeping through her tone. I groaned, turning my head almost unwillingly to receive the sight in front of us. There were so many. Where they came from, I had no idea, but they were coming _fast. _

"WEEEE NEED A PLAN." I urged, scooching along the peak of the roof. They all had their eyes on us, they were practically clawing their way up the side of the house now.

"Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim-"

"Emily, saying my name over and over is NOT GOING TO HELP OUR-TITS. OH GOD, OH TITS, OH LORD, OH GOD." I kicked at the leech's face as it batted for my leg, growling and hissing in response. It eventually won me over, grabbing my stitches. I yelled in pain, clinging to the peak of the shingles, doing anything I could not to be ripped to the ground when something crashed through the window and took it to the ground. This wolf was different, a much lighter brown than Jared with dark patches all over.

I watched as he and my latest attacker fell 30 feet to the ground, tumbling around like the fall was nothing when they made contact. Swinging my leg over the peak once more, I was now face to face with Emily as we straddled the top of her roof, pale angels scaling the side of her home for our blood.

"We have to slide." I urged. She looked up at me, biting her lip before grabbing my hand and sliding.

The wind washed over us as we hit another archway, landing safely on the flat overture of the back porch. Brady and Sam were outside now, blocking off the back of the home, and apparently winning. I beamed proudly as Jared rounded the corner, tackling one of Sam's attackers. That was my mine. Sort of. Emily tugged on my shirt, and as I followed her gaze my stomach sank. They'd scaled the side of the house and were sliding towards us, quickly. I grabbed hold of the edge of the overture, now hanging a good 10 feet from the ground.

Apparently, our dear friend Emily didn't get the memo. She was supposed to swing down on _her_ side, and we would've dropped _together._ Instead, she body-slammed into me, having swung down right behind me, sending us both crashing to the porch floor. I groaned, trying to cough up all the extra air that had shoved its way into my lungs. This was not fun. This was noooooot a fun time. I gave Emily an extra shove as our boys tackled each leech that dared drop from the roof, all threat removed from us. She gave me an apologetic look before pushing me into the house and following. They were inside, clawing at the windows and doors, one exploding out of the side of the steps the second we walked in. He missed us by inches, sliding into the bar instead, a giant steel pipe that had earlier been broken slicing through him.

Jared and the new wolf crashed over our heads. Sweet Jesus, Em was going to need a new house by the end of the night. The new wolf chased a leech upstairs, snapping at its ankles and disappearing around the corner as Jared rolled around with a blonde woman. She was clawing at him everywhere she could, hissing loudly. These bitches just didn't fight fair. I wrenched another pipe from underneath the sink, this one coming to a sharpened edge, like some mock sword or something. I waited for Jared to get the upper hand, but she saw it coming. She twisted and grabbed my leg, throwing me across the room and lunging for me. Jared caught her instantly, slinging her down, shoving a crater in the wooden floor. She screeched, climbing onto his back. I scrambled to my feet. The moment she swung him away from me to tear at his throat, I heaved the pipe into the air and brought it down harder than I ever thought possible-silencing her screaming.

Jared wriggled out of her dead arms, turning to face me. I winked at him, tossing the pipe by her face and following Emily out of the back door. Paul, Brady, and Sam were waiting outside, staring up at the house, all dirty, all covered in a few cuts here and there. I stared at their choice of fashion, cut-offs? Really? Then again it wasn't the time to whip out Mom's credit card and suggest a shopping trip. Emily ran to Sam, Paul making gagging faces as they smothered each other in kisses.

"Kimberly Conweller." He smiled, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Of all girls, you _would _get caught up on this."

"What can I say," I breathed heavily, my heart racing in my chest as I stood next to him. "I'm a hot commodity." Jared jogged up behind us as Embry Call stood behind Sam uncomfortably.

"Embry?" I exclaimed. "Embry Call? I can't believe it." I smiled. Embry looked pissed, then blushed, then looked ashamed. "You too, huh? You were amazing back there, seriously. You saved my ass how many times?" I smiled. Embry looked proud now, my encouragement rising in him.

'Thank You for that.' Sam mouthed over Emily's shoulder. I waved him away, Jared catching my gaze as we all turned to face the disheveled house The scattered lights and small fires were glinting off his russet skin, making my heart melt. I wanted to touch him. Thank him with every inch of my body, if you catch my drift. He smiled slightly at me, earning one in return.

There was a mutual understanding there, that we were more than happy to see each other alive.

"You owe me one." I teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, okay, fine. _Maybe _we can be friends." I rolled my eyes at him, doing a double take as I saw him moving closer to me. He placed his hands around my waist, kissing the top of my forehead. Having him this close, feeling his heat…I need him. I _ached _for him, having to FIGHT not to move forward and shove my lips to his.

"I'm happy you're safe." He murmured. Another piece of my heart broke as I remembered. The word _safe._ He was my babysitter, not my boyfriend-by duty, not choice. I nodded.

"You too." I whispered, staring up at him. I could feel it, every fiber in his body was moving towards every one in my own, as if they were crying for each other, fighting for each other-prisoners of the second guesses and mixed thoughts.

Jared closed his eyes, cutting the connection like he always did. He pressed his lips to my forehead again, his grip tightening on my waist before jogging away to join the boys in the new home-repairs we'd be staying up all night to make.

"Wanna stay again?" Emily asked cheerfully.

"Why the hell not," I laughed. "This one better be more exciting than last week's sleepover."


	8. Anchored

"You're dating Lucas Stevenson?" Katie shrieked, her French fries flying halfway across the table. Paul rubbed her back soothingly, Jordyn dodging multiple food items on the other side of the table. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Yeah, where the hell was I during all this?" I cut in. Jordyn narrowed her eyes at me.

"I don't know, where were you Kim?"

"Ahh….well…" I hadn't exactly been prepared for that one. Jordyn and I slept in the same room, I wasn't surprised that she'd been well aware of my occasional sneaking out. Saved by the wolves! Jared and Embry slid into their seats next to us, Embry raising an eyebrow at the tension.

"Anyway," Jordyn continued. "I was in Study Hall, right? And he'd asked for Chemistry tutoring."

"Isn't Lucas top in your class?"

"Exactly. Eventually he fessed up to just wanting a date, which I thought was sweet. So I said yes."

Jared scooted his chair closer to mine and leaned back, his eyes burning holes into my shoulders. I could feel him staring at me, like he was ready to jump in front of a train for me should it come crashing through the cafeteria. He wound a lock of my hair around his fingers and started twirling absentmindedly. Was this friendship? Because he was no less than three inches away from me and I wanted to pounce on him like a mountain lion and hump him like there was no tomorrow. This was unfair, really.

"He invited me to some party tonight, you should all come."

"Party crashing isn't really my scene." Embry murmured, folding his arms over his chest. Jared nudged him and gave him a look.

"Live a little." He scolded. I shot him a look.

"Since when are you one for having fun?" I smirked.

"Since we became friends." He countered, daring me to say something back. I rolled my eyes and scooted away from him. I refused to lose this teasing game. Jared followed suit, scooting his chair next to mine again. I shot him a falsely annoyed look as Jordyn and Katie studied us.

*Jared POV*

Of all of my 8 years of knowing Kim Conweller, not once would I ever consider us friends. It wasn't that I didn't like her, or that she wasn't likeable, in fact I'd heard tons of people continue to talk about the latest form of rebellion she and Katie were constantly committing.

I was in no mood to go back to school. Brady nearly had to drag me through the front door, growling included. He was smart enough not to do any yelling though, thank God or I probably would've exploded out of my skin. The whole werewolf thing was a real bitch. The anger problems, the heat, the non-stop rumors referring to why I looked like a lumberjack. Thank you, mother Nature-if she was even the one behind it.

As soon as we were in the building, Brady had shot off down the hallway, muttering something about feeling a pull in the other direction.

"Fucking great." I muttered, rounding the corner. Something warm nearly collided with my left side, the poor girl probably broke something running into me.

"Sorry." A sweet voice found its way to my ears. I was overwhelmed with the smell, the sound, the need to turn around and figure out who the hell it was that had me glazed over in seconds-but I kept my head down. There was no point in indulging myself. If it _was _a pretty girl, and she _did_ have a great personality, and I _did _end up liking her, it would only make this wolf thing more infuriating. We were not supposed to get attached to anyone or anything aside from family. We could count out friends, girls, whoever-what we were was incompatible with normal relationships, platonic or not.

"No problem." I grumbled bitterly, striding down the hall.

Brady met me at the doorway to History, looking somewhat confused.

"You find it?" I asked as we strode into class, everyone gasping at our appearance. He shook his head.

"No. I mean…yeah…no. It was a girl." He wrinkled his nose. I shook my head at him, flopping down into the small seat behind his and throwing my head into my hands. This was going to be a really, really long day.

"Katie, you're gorgeous." The same sweet voice from the hallway murmured next to me.

"Yeah she is." My head snapped up. Brady was staring at the girl next to him like he was 7 years old and she was Santa.

God Dammit.

"I…uhh...ahh…Brady." he stuttered. Sweet Jesus.

"Katie." The girl murmured back. Brady started shaking.

"Brady." I shot. He glared at me for a minute, trying to collect himself before storming out of the room. Crazy bastard. Katie watched him leave, her drool forming a puddle on her desk.

"Since when do you have a thing for Brady?" The sweet voice asked.

"Isn't he dreamy?" I threw my head back down. This was too much. Way too much. I quit. I do more than quit, I quit, and then I find the bastard that started all of this and punch him in the eye.

"Mr. Thail?" I looked up. Damn. Just what I needed, project day. "Your project?" Mr. Davens asked. His voice was dripping with hate.

_I could kill you, _I thought viciously. _You and your smug, teenage-girl hounding, perverted fucker self._ That's all he ever did, Mr. Davens. Hit on teenage students and then pretend to be completely innocent when they asked to switch out of his class from all the tension. I just nodded and went to the front of the room like a good boy. My project was on some Indian tribe or something, I hadn't been worried about school for weeks.

I mumbled about whatever, pulling anything I could out of my ass. I looked around the room, searching for ideas, searching for anything, really.

Then I saw her. Perfect, gorgeous, wonderful her. Staring at me with those gorgeous black eyes that matched her straight, silky, shiny strands of hair. Her perfect pink lips parted as she took in a rush of air, turning her light brown cheeks pink. She smiled, forcing me to do the same. It took every single drop of willpower I had not to fly across the room and kiss her, touch her, protect her, whatever she needed me to do for God's sake I would do and be happy about it.

She needed a limb? She could have it.

She needed a brain? My thoughts were only about her anyway.

She needed a heart? She already had mine.

For the next week it took all of me not to tell her right away, not to just throw everything on the table and ask her to marry me. She was my favorite girl, my favorite everything, I needed her every day, 24/7. Suddenly I _wanted_ to go to school, _wanted _to go for walks in the rain, _wanted_ to snoop around the Library just so I could _see_ her. And the smell, dear God, the smell was delicious. It was like Christmas, cinnamon and vanilla mixed so perfectly together that it made my body ache for more every time it wafted past me, and trust me, it was often. Drop her off in Canada, I still would've been able to sniff her out.

It wasn't until I'd found her in a log cabin with a bloodthirsty leech that I decided it was too much. The only reason he'd gone after her, the only reason she'd been chosen out of all the other girls around was because of me. He could _smell_ me on her, and if her scent hadn't been my favorite in the entire world, I wouldn't have been able to find her. He was going to eat her alive, torture her, chew her up and spit her out because he wanted answers she couldn't give-answers about what the hell we were and what we were doing here, and if _he _had managed to stay in La Push this long, it meant there were others, better ones, stronger ones that could also go after her and Emily because of what they meant to us-and now they knew.

I'd spent weeks pushing her away after that, nearly a month and a half after I'd been linked to her, almost. It was too dangerous, too risky-but no matter what I did she didn't seem to _care._ Instead of doing the nice, sensible thing, she ran off into the woods with Emily, decided not only that she was a wolf hero but a heroine as well and was hell-bent on "helping out" even though it'd cost Sam and Emily half their house and put everyone's lives at risk more than once. She was risky, she was adventurous, she didn't mind being chased three miles through the woods as long as everyone else was safe-but I didn't care as much about everyone else. She was putting _my _Kim on the line, sacrificing _my _heart, _my_ soul, as if it didn't even matter.

Luckily for me Sam and Emily never gave her enough information to put it together. To Kim, I was an ass, a completely dejected tool that wanted nothing to do with her but _had _to protect her, simply because she was vital to keeping the string of werewolves alive. She believed me, and it crushed her, crushing me in return, but she wasn't giving up. This wasn't like the time Bella Swan had flung herself off a cliff because her leech didn't love her, wasn't like the time Destiny King became a social hermit after Paul had hit it and quit it-Kim was unlike all of them, instead of saying okay and being normal, she kept _pushing _me, _testing _me, learning on her own just how strong her hold was over me-and I loved it.

I could feel myself start slipping, as if I didn't mind anymore whether or not we'd have to double our protection, didn't mind if we'd die together as long as I got to touch her and hold her and see her smile every day. The days following the incident at Sam and Emily's were the hardest-I found myself following her, breathing in her scent much too often for my usual liking, letting her get as close as she wanted because I wanted to be close too-It was like a thousand steel cables jerking at my insides whenever she wasn't within a foot of me, it was killing me, and unexplainably I knew it was killing her too. I could see it in her face, whenever she got cocky or brave, daring to inch further than she knew she should've-she was waiting for me to cut it off, to stop, but to be honest…I didn't know how long I could anymore.

*Kim POV*

Jordyn dusted the last bit of glitter over my eyelids, smiling as she stepped back to inspect her work.

"Good Lord I'm a mastermind!" she chirped, pulling her sparkled turquoise dress over her head. I shot her a look.

"A little short, don't you think?" I smirked, poking at her butt-cheek.

"Whatever, it's sexy casual." She sighed. I rolled my eyes, checking the mirror and inspecting my own body. The shorts were my favorite, slightly distressed at the middle of my thigh. They were Jordyn's, actually meaning they were _short_ shorts. The black tank top was matte behind the white lace blouse I wore over it, one sleeve draped gracefully across my chest, clinging to the middle of my upper left arm. My hair had been set in waves, brushing my shoulders-my eyes painted with soft, silver glitter over a smoky eye.

"I'm so hot." I sighed, strutting out of the room. Jordyn threw something at me as I left. She didn't like being upstaged, not that she had any competition.

I climbed into the backseat with Katie, Brady and Lucas in the front, Jordyn sliding in next to me. You could hear the music blaring halfway down Edin's street, not that anyone was surprised. He'd had some of the best parties in La Push history, it was like a tradition, really. His brothers had graduated last year, meaning now it was his turn. If a Sophmore party was to go down successfully, the upperclassmen weren't allowed to talk anymore shit. People ran around rampant in the front yard, clusters talking in their glittery heels and shimmering tops. The house was crowded, it was a sea of people almost literally. Toilet paper had been thrown across the roof and into the trees, a few cups littering the front lawn.

"Jared and Embry were supposed to meet us here." Brady smiled, slinking an arm around Katie's waist. He sniffed the air for a second before turning around, prompting me to follow his gaze. There they were in all their glory, towering above everyone else as they waded through the crowd. Jared had chosen a pair of dark 7 jeans, a black V-neck sweater clinging to every muscle in his torso. Jordyn nudged me as I tried to pick my jaw off the ground. He looked _delicious._ I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as he came to a complete halt in his stride, his eyes running over my body.

"Ahh…" everyone looked at the pair of us awkwardly as we drooled over each other's appearance. "You look…gorgeous." He murmured, walking towards me slowly. He looked like a drug addict with a pile of cocaine inches away from him. It was like he was restraining himself as he grabbed a hold of my waist, unintentionally squeezing harder than necessary. My toes curled at his hot touch. _I _was the addict now. Jared scanned the lawn, a serious look on his face, pulling me under him as if he was trying to keep me out of sight.

"We know she's hot, you can't have her all to yourself, Buddy." Jordyn teased, pulling me away from him.

She lead me into the living room, everyone following closely behind as we melted into the sea of people. Immediately, I started rocking with the beat. I felt free, lost, but in a good way-as if no one was really paying attention to me so I was able to do whatever I pleased and get lost in the euphoric heat of the crowd. We danced for what felt like hours, shots and bottles being passed along the crowd, laughing and singing along and grinding against the kid you sat next to in kindergarten.

Katie was losing her mind. She looked like a madwoman, thrashing and grinding drunkenly against Brady as they laughed and danced together. She smiled broadly at him and he kissed her passionately, just two people lost in each other. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her the entire night, and I can honestly say I'm sure she hadn't taken hers off him either. Jared was around, he never let me get farther than a foot away from him, and on occasion I'd catch him staring at me as I swayed with Jordyn, the hum of the music in my ears overpowering any good-girl behavior I'd been taught in church. I smiled at him and grabbed his hand, finally irritated by his buzz-killing attitude. He moved towards me, and I leaned against his chest, swinging my hips slowly, then quicker against his, resting his hand on the front of my waist.

Jared's fingers laced themselves in mine as I moved against him, our bodies floating in sync, like we were built as a whole, split, and now reunited-moving like we'd practiced this a thousand times before. I let every noise around me become a blur, melting into one and it was just me and Jared, letting ourselves go but doing it together, his heat overpowering my body. He spun me around and clung me to him, his hands moving over my back and through my hair, covering me in kisses from my forehead to my cheeks, stopping when he finally got to the corner of my mouth.

"We're friends." He breathed heavily, my new favorite noise. I nodded, lacing my fingers in his hair, my lips brushing his for a split second before the music cut off and there was the sound of shattering bottles as they hit the floor. A girl from school, two years older than me, a senior, was standing in the doorway, shock and desperation written all over her face.

"Stop! STOP!" She demanded, everyone hustling around her. "The Quilette grounds were just attacked. JARED, is Jared here?" he shoved through the crowd, towing me behind him. The girl looked at him apologetically, somewhat afraid to say her piece. "There were parents there, some of the elders, but all I know for sure is…Jared…your mom was there when it happened. Your mom is dead."

* * *

><p><strong>*For this section I needed a really serious song, so the scene will turn out best if you go look up Dumbledore's Farewell-Nicholas Hooper and listen to it for the rest of the chapter!*<strong>

* * *

><p>There was a horde of us teenagers flying through the trees, everyone at the party seemed to move at once, some out running others, Jared and Brady at the head of the pack with Katie and I close behind them. Some hadn't even stopped to grab their shoes or coats, just shot of into the night to see if it was their parents who'd also been caught in the accident.<p>

We shoved through the trees, the glare of the flames washing over everyone's face as they poured into the clearing. Everyone in La Push was there, surrounding the giant courtyard as it blazed in front of us. Billy Black, Sue and her family, Sam had already arrived, rushing over to Jared who'd made a run for the flames. It took Brady, Paul, Embry, Sam, _and _six members of the football team to hold Jared back as he screamed, his body seizing furiously as he covered his nose. He could smell them. All of them, anyone who'd been in the cabins as they were lit was now scattered in the air with the smoke, and Jared's nostrils were on fire with the scent of his mom.

He was sobbing and screaming at the same time when Sam shoved me into him frantically, trying anything he could to calm Jared down before he exploded in front of everyone. There were firefighters working, screaming, shouting orders, every able bodied man doing everything they could to help. Jared clung to my small shoulders, dropping to his knees, his tears soaking my blouse and shorts as he roared in frustration, unable to save someone he loved so dearly. He held onto me like _I _was his mother, like he was doing anything to keep her tethered to Earth, to keep _me _tethered to Earth.

"JARED," I cried, holding his face in my hands. "Jared, please, please look at me!" I was sobbing too, I was crying just as hard as he was-because when he broke, I broke, and that's the way it was going to be for Lord knows how long. I was pouring every thought in my mind out to him, screaming at him, doing anything to keep him from falling a part because I was too.

"Jared please," I cried, really screaming at his mother. "I don't care. We can be friends, we can be less, Jared don't break, please don't break, it hurts, Jared it hurts, I-"

"I've done nothing but hurt you for-" he was pissed, angry, scoffing at himself as if he were some kind of joke, he was going mad right in front of my eyes, hate seeping through his tone as he described himself with self-loathing.

"I will stay." I breathed, looking into his eyes. "I will say forever, Jared. I can be your crutch, or your shoulder to cry on, your anything, Jared, I'll be your anything."

"I don't deserve you-"

"You deserve _all _of me, and I'm giving it to you whether you like it or not." I clung to him, my face resting on his shoulder as we continued to cry. Several other people had dropped to the ground in horror, Katie was crying drunkenly, Jordyn was screaming, a few others had tried rushing into the destruction, their parents also lost forever.

There was a tie between us, but it wasn't a tie, it was an anchor, I was anchored to him, without him, I was nothing, with him, I could be whatever I pleased-I was free with him, needed him to breathe, and as I told him all of these things he only held onto me tighter. You are my everything, I'm anchored, I'm anchored for forever and you're anchored to me so take me, do whatever you need with me, I'm at your disposal, I'll commit murder, I'll steal, I'll join the peace core, Lord knows what you want right now but I'll do it, I swear, I'll do it.

He listened to my words, begged for more, begged me to stay, finally cracking underneath all the pressure I'd put on him in the past few weeks, admitting he needed me, admitting he wanted me, admitting I was all he had left, screaming it, even-and when my Mom tried to pull me to my feet and embrace me even _Jordyn_ hustled her away and warned her not to move me, warned her not to touch me because the entire town could see as Jared Thail clung to my body that he was mine and I was his and we were all we needed or wanted or even had.

Sam hustled Mom away to join the crowd of Elders, all murmuring to her, explaining something I couldn't understand. Drops of water splashed across my face as rain raged war on all of us, the fire simmering to a halt in the enormous ancient land. This was where we'd played together. Where we'd learned our ABC's together. Had our first kisses, even our first times for some. It was where we met our first crush, he'd stolen our cookies, and we chased him around, screaming that it was ours-and when he stopped he'd held our hand and told us he was going to marry us someday before scurrying off with the rest of the 1st grade class. It was where I'd told Jared Thail that he'd one day have my babies when we were in the 4th grade, it was where Jordyn had lost her first tooth, where Anna Burch broke her arm for the first time, where they'd buried Harry Clearwater months ago. It was where Sam and Emily had got engaged, where Mrs. Thawhorne first found out she was pregnant. Our home, the heart and soul of La Push, Washington-where nothing important ever happened, had burned down right in front of our faces. We felt empty. Broken. Like someone had put us in a straight line and ran a dagger through every single one of us.

I stayed on the ground for a moment as Jared silently stood and shuffled to Sam with Paul, Embry and now Quil Ateara standing by his side. Mom took her opportunity and scurried over to me, covering my face in kisses and enveloping me into a hug as she cried softly about how happy she was I was safe. I nodded, holding her closely. What if it had been her in one of the cabins? What if it was she who'd decided to go check out a few books, or buy a few new things? It could've been her. She held me at arm's length as I stared at her expressionlessly. I had no words to speak. She wiped away a tear and looked from Jared, who was walking towards the forest with Sam and the rest of the boys, to me.

"I think," she said quietly, her voice cracking as she sniffed. "I think you should stay with Emily again tonight."

"No, Mom I-"

"Someone needs you at Emily's, Kim." Her eyes were pleading with me, thinking I couldn't possibly understand, thinking there was no way that I was already aware of the anchor between Jared Thail and I. I nodded at her softly, kissing her cheek before shuffling off aimlessly towards the forest.

I didn't mind the quiet, or the dark, or the occasional noises around me as I walked, almost zombie like towards Sam and Emily's. At one point, I saw a pair of crimson eyes peek at me, watching, not moving, but watching as I kept a steady stride and a low heartbeat. I wasn't alive enough to care about dying. I wasn't alive enough to try and run if pursued. The eyes watched me, a small, black-haired girl stepping out of the trees, her soft, pale face glowing with the moon. I stared straight at her, tears drying against my cheeks as I sniffled, the pit in my stomach starting to swallow everything around it.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, like a little kid about to be punished. So it was them. They were the ones who did this. I didn't care enough to scream, or yell, or kick. I was dead. Dead things don't feel. "I'm sorry!" she cried, dry-sobbing. It was odd, seeing one of them cry. She was following me, my silence making her feel worse than if I would've turned around and slapped her. She watched me enter the clearing and move towards Sam's, the wooden stairs creaking underneath my feet as I entered.

"They're in the woods." I whispered vengefully, still well aware that it could've been her fault Jared's mom was gone. Sam nodded towards Embry and he headed out the door, Paul, Quil, and Brady all behind them.

"Katie got home okay." Brady assured me softly before whisking away into the night. Sam was clutching Emily close, her tired face leaning against his chest.

"He needs you." Sam pleaded with me. I nodded, shuffling up the stairs. The door closed quietly behind me, Jared not taking his eyes off the ceiling. He was still sniffing, tears continuing to stream down his cheeks. He was alone. An orphan. Almost everyone had known his Dad left years ago, he didn't even have any brothers or sisters, his Mom decided to move back to the reservation before Jared was even born to get a fresh, new start. He had no one. Except me.

I pulled off my blouse and shorts, leaving on my tank top and underwear seeing as wearing anything else would've been too uncomfortable. Jared barely moved as I crawled into his bed. He wrapped an arm around my waist pulling me back into his chest until we were front to back, his face nestled in the top of my hair. I held onto his arms around me, so warm, so safe, like the rest of the world was gone. We sniffled the rest of the night, unsure of who fell asleep first. My guess was neither.


	9. Healing

Birdy-Skinny Love

My eyes opened slowly, shifting under Jared's weight. My hands were threaded in his hair as his head rested on my chest, the rest of us intertwined under the sheets. He was staring at the wall across from us, not moving, not talking-not that I expected him to. I stared at him for a moment, his eyelashes twice the usual thick, coated with tears. As I tried to move his grip on me was frantic, he clung to me like a little kid, his breathing picking up slightly before I paused and settled back in the sheets, my fingers stroking his face and hair once again.

I don't know how long we stayed there. Forever? A few days? A few minutes? We made the sheets our home, a cocoon, somewhere safe but only with each other present. We wrapped ourselves in each other like I never thought possible, sometimes sitting in silence for hours, sometimes crying together, sometimes whispering softly in the air, giving small responses. "Stay…" he panicked once as I slid away from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. I looked over my shoulder at him and nodded reassuringly, batting away tears as they started overflowing my eyes again.

I tried to wash away what happened for what seemed like hours. I'd thought that maybe if I could sit in the shower long enough, if I could get it off me, maybe I could just wash away reality but the only thing I felt sitting under the ice cold water was the need to be next to Jared Thail once again. When I'd finally gotten what I wanted, and Jared's arms were constricting me once again, I felt safe. Whole again. It was like time had stopped for us, realized what a fucked up situation we were in and decided to finally give us a break.

One afternoon, I'd finally managed to tear myself away, figuring we'd need to get back to reality soon and it'd be best if I was prepared. I tiptoed out of the room as Jared slept like a baby, the only time I felt like his mind was at ease. Sam and Emily were downstairs in the kitchen as they usually were, the rest of the boys lounging about in front of the flat screen in the living room. They looked at me as I stood sheepishly behind one of the dining room chairs, trying to collect words that were appropriate for the situation.

"He's asleep." Was all I could choke out hoarsely. Emily bit her lip and looked to Sam who gave a weak smile.

"Well….sweetheart, we're sorry, we didn't think he'd keep you up there tha-"

"He isn't forcing me." I cut in immediately. "I had to stay with him, Sam. It's like we're-"

"Tied." Emily murmured, clearly understanding. I nodded softly, taking a seat across from her. "Breakfast?" I nodded again.

"What day is it?"

"Sunday."

Geez. Sunday. We'd been in that room since Friday night, this was the first time either of us had come downstairs.

"Christ." I muttered, running my hands over my face. Em sat a plate of eggs in front of me and I attacked immediately, having wolfed them down in minutes. It was like when you had a horrid hangover-you slept all day but the night after you felt like you'd just been shot with twenty doses of pure adrenaline.

"How's he been?" Paul asked quietly, sitting next to me. I smiled weakly, what really could I say?

"He's been," I murmured. "He hasn't really spoken about it. Just that he misses her already."

"He's gonna need a little time." Paul said. "It's like we can all feel it, ya know? Like it was our Mom too."

"Pack mentality," Sam shrugged. "It's gonna happen all the time, no matter what the situation. When your brothers hurt, you hurt too."

"What's it like?" Paul asked me.

"Having a need to give him whatever I can." I admitted. "Like I'd do anything to fix him. When he breaks I break."

They all took in my answer silently before bustling back to whatever it was they'd been doing.

"You're a good girl, Kim." Sam nodded to himself. I raised an eyebrow at him. "I know he's been more than a handful lately, yet you're still ready to lay your heart out there for him."

"I don't have a choice, Sam. He's my best friend."

I nearly jumped at the warm pair of lips that landed on my temple, Jared stroking my cheek with his thumb. I watched him move to Emily, planting a kiss on her forehead before putting a hand on Sam's shoulder. He was rummaging through the fridge as Emily shot me a hopeful smile, which I shared with Jared as he brought a horde of food to the table.

"Hungry much?" I teased as he nearly inhaled it all. He smiled at me, making my heart skip a little. It was the first time he'd smiled in days. When he was finished he drew the fork across his plate in small, silent circles, the rest of us unsure of what to do or say. They all stared at me, as if I was the newfound ringleader for mission Save Jared from Himself.

"We have school tomorrow." He said flatly, looking around to all of us.

"Do we?" I asked. Jared stared at me, a small smile forming on his lips. He looked down again as everyone stared at the pair of us. "We can stay, if you want. We can go back upstairs."

"I've kept you in that room for two and a half days."

"And I've never felt more peaceful." I countered.

Jared stared at me, disbelief and amazement in his eyes at the same time. I shrugged at him, waiting for an answer, but he never gave one-just scraped his plate and leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Don't you think you should go home?" He asked softly. The question stung a little, I'll admit, but I shrugged again, trying to remember that this was for him.

"Do you want me to?" he stared at me in amazement again. He shook his head softly, my heart melting at his want for me to stay.

"No. Of course I don't, but you have a life outside of me ya know."

"I know. But you sort of come first, so I don't think it matters."

"Why?" Jared cut as I dropped my plate into the sink. I stared at him for a minute, deciding that now was a better time than ever to be honest.

"I told you in the field Friday. Even if it is just a protection detail, it means that you're here to save my life on a regular basis," everyone laughed quietly. "So I sort of owe it to you anyways. And whether you meant it or not, you said you needed me to. It doesn't matter if it's because you have to protect me, you physically need me around. So I'm here." Sam was smiling at me, Emily at his side and doing the same. Brady looked like he was far away, probably thinking of Katie.

Emily grabbed the keys from the counter and motioned for me to follow her to the car, Jared and I not tearing our eyes away from each other until we'd driven off into the night. It was like I was being jolted in another direction again, like when you overstretch a muscle, or someone pulls on your arm too hard. I needed to be next to him, it took every ounce of my being not to jump out the window and run back towards the house just to crawl back into bed with him again.

"I know it's hard," Emily murmured. "But he seems to be getting better. More…open, to having you."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" I asked, looking at her. She looked around nervously.

"Well…no…I mean…"

"If he's just my bodyguard what does it matter if he's open to me or not?"

"Well, he just…" there was a jolt inside the car, Emily's head hitting her window as something collided with the side of the car. We swerved, Emily swearing as she tried to regain control of the vehicle again. I stared outside, eyeing the pale, swift figures streaking the trees lining the road.

"Fuck." Emily muttered, staring straight ahead. I followed her gaze. They were everywhere, I couldn't even _begin_ to count how many.

"You've got to be kidding me." I groaned. Another collision, this one rocking the car onto one side, Emily swearing again as I shoved myself against the car door, trying to put as much weight on as I could to balance it out. We rocked back onto all four wheels as she rounded a corner.

I felt for my phone in my pocket, swearing when I'd realized I'd left it on the bathroom counter back at Sam's. Emily was stringing curse words along like they were a goddamn song, I almost expected her to start rhyming them together. I stared into the night. There was a line of them. A full-on brigade lined across the road. We'd have to drive _through _them.

"Phone, Emily-I need your phone!"

"I don't have it I left it at-FUCK!" The car was shoved harder, this time on Emily's side, sending the truck skidding sideways across the road, slamming into the wall of rock that lined it. My head hit the window, cracking it just a smidge. I tore off my seatbelt, nearly catapulting myself into the backseat as I looked for something that would help us, anything, sweet Jesus I wouldn't have cared if it was a flashlight, as long as I had _something. _Emily collided with the line of vampires, the car flipping forwards over their rock-hard skin. We landed on the back of the car, me being thrown into the backseat, the glass from the back windshield scratching at my skin. Em revved the engine, the car falling back on all fours as we hit full speed once again.

I felt around the backseat, occasionally being thrown against the doors or roof of the car when another leech attacked. It was like being blind, feeling for something you didn't even know you were looking for until finally…yes! SCORE! I ripped Embry's cellphone from underneath the seat, not taking the time to ask about how it got there when another vampire slammed into the _back_ of Sam's car this time, flipping me into the dash board, my legs tangled around the passenger seat and Emily's lap. I stared at the roof of the car, eyeing the small dent that had been made earlier. There were more of them chasing us now, I could see it out of the corner of both eyes, and Emily knew it too-she was shaking, almost crying.

"Why is it always us…" I muttered, dialing Jared's number as quickly as I could. The phone rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, and fucking rang as he didn't feel good enough to look to see who was calling, let alone answer it. I tried again. Ring, ring, ringity fucking ring. I tried Sam's next, same thing. "Son of a bitch!" I yelled, throwing the phone at Emily. Another rock against her side, throwing me against the side of the passenger seat. I clung to it, doing my best to slide back into position in the front.

Emily swerved off the road, driving us into the trees.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"IMPROVISING!" She yelled, she cut across the field, twigs and rocks snapping against the car as the pairs of crimson eyes bore into my own along the way. In minutes we were back on another road, this one a mix of dirt and gravel.

"Emily I don't think this a good idea." I shot as the car bounced along the gravel, the leeches still hot on our trail. She was nervous, nearly sweating now.

"Kim, I don't know what to do, I don't know what else to do except turn the car around-"

"THEN DO IT!"

"Kim, I can't I'm…oh God, okay, okay, okay."

"Emily move," she looked at me fearfully. "I said move!" In one swift motion, she stomped on the gas pedal, ripped off her seatbelt, and flung herself into the backseat. I crawled into her spot and took the wheel, my foot hitting the pedal with such force that the car roared forward, nearly slamming me into the dashboard again. I swung right, unsure of how we were going to get back home. Emily picked up Embry's phone again, dialing the numbers once more. Still nothing.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she screamed, trying and trying again until finally one picked up. "SAM! SAM YOU HAVE TO GET OUT HERE NOW, WE'RE LOST WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE!" there was a pause. "Sam, we aren't alone." Emily stared at the phone as Sam hung up immediately, no more words needed to be spoken.

They could sniff us out, they would find us like they always did, we would live, like we always did and then maybe Jared would let me stay with him another night, regardless if we had school tomorrow. The leeches were attacking more viciously now, the car nearly toppling onto its side on several occasions. Emily and I both screamed as one jumped onto the windshield, snarling and clawing at the glass. I put on the wipers, my first instinct as Emily gave me the "really?" look. They snapped against the vampires leg, causing it to cackle loudly, it's teeth glinting in the moon as it laughed at me.

The leech punched a fist through the glass, sending it raining on both of us. I flinched away as it clawed for my face, dragging it's nails across my arm. Emily immediately started kicking at it, her boot catching it in the wrist, the sound like stomping on concrete. We were never going to be able to take these things on alone, if we could period. Another leech attacked my side of the car again, throwing it up against a tree-the vampire on the windshield flying into the forest. Emily peeled herself off the roof of the car in the backseat, dusting glass off of her body as I continued slamming on the gas pedal, the wheels turning quickly to no avail. We were tilted at an upward angle, the seatbelt being the only thing that kept me from falling out of the passenger side window. I threw the car into reverse and hit the pedal again, the wheel catching the leeches arm and ripping it out of the socket with a screeching noise that made my ears pop.

The vampire released the car, letting us sink to all four wheels again as we shot off into the night once more. I had no idea where we were, or where we were going, but as Emily kept her eyes peeled for the wolves my heart was racing faster than it ever had before. _Come on, Jared….come on._ I pleaded. A roar ripped through the night as they tumbled out of the trees as if on que, Paul landing in front of the truck. I slammed the breaks, nearly hitting him before he darted out of the way, pursuing two vampires at once. The once powerful horde was now diminishing before our eyes as the boys tore them all limb from limb as if it were nothing. Boy, did they make us look bad. In ten minutes, the leeches had been crushed, like the chase had never even taken place. Sam and Jared walked to the crushed vehicle, smirks on their faces as they eyed their battered protectees.

"From now on, you two are not allowed within three feet of each other alone."

"But-"

"No buts, Emily. Why is it always you two?"

"We were asking ourselves the same question."

"The important thing is that you're safe." Sam sighed, pulling his bleeding girlfriend out of the passenger seat. Jared stuck his head in the car, leaning against the door as he raised an eyebrow at me. I threw my head back against the seat and turned to him. We laughed immediately, nervousness filling both tones.

"Always in trouble." He smiled softly.

"Jared, I'm sorry, I know with your mom just dying you really don't need the extra trou-"

"Don't even," Jared cut in, raising a hand. He nearly tore the door off its hinges and turned me to face him as he moved closer to the car. "I'm just glad you aren't hurt too badly." I stood in front of him, staring up into his eyes. He brushed a few strands of hair out of my face, wiping a bit of blood away from my forehead. We laughed again, his scent washing over me. It was like a drug. "You gotta stop playing Rugby with vampires." He murmured, inching closer to me. I closed my eyes, waiting for his lips to brush mine.

They didn't. They came across my forehead instead, disappointment filling my stomach.

I'd gone back to Emily's to take a shower before returning home in hopes that Mom wouldn't ask any questions. She was strangely understanding. Jared watched me walk through the front door, looking like a sad puppy. We hesitated, our pull begging us to go to each other. We exchanged soft smiles before I closed the door slowly, wishing he'd break it down and take me to the bedroom.

I crawled into bed, knowing full well that I wasn't going to get any sleep. It felt like I needed to go back, like I was desperate enough to go back into the woods and_ find _another leech, just so Jared could save me from it and be near me again. It was horrible, like a slow, burning pain that only subsided when he was near. I wasn't quite sure how much time had passed when I heard a small tap at the window. I slid out of bed, knowing exactly who it was.

Jared Thail stared up at me silently as I opened the glass, the cool night air washing over me. Jared's scent came with it, the fire subsiding in my stomach as it washed through my insides. I held out my hand. He took it, still carrying all of his own weight as he climbed through the window, landing on the floor with a light thud. He'd taken my hand just to hold it, not because he needed my help. I lead him silently to the bed, crawling under the covers as he did the same, my face resting on his hot chest as he played in my hair. I closed my eyes, finally able to sleep. Finally able to be at peace.


	10. Try Honesty, Amongst Other Things

I woke up alone. The bed was still ridiculously hot, meaning Jared hadn't left too long ago. Jordyn stumbled into the room minutes after I woke up, looking like she'd been hit by a train.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair. She smiled at me and bit her lip, setting her heels down on the bed before sitting next to them.

"I was with Lucas last night." She smiled. I gave her a look as she bounced up and down like a little kid, her face brighter than a Christmas tree. "We…I mean…we spent the night together."

My jaw hit the floor and she laughed quietly, careful not to wake Mom up across the hall. The light was starting to pour into the room, dim, but it was making progress. I stared at the light navy sky, wondering how long it would be before the sun approached. She shrugged sweetly, the pink in her cheeks was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. It was good to see her happy, to see _someone _happy. "_You have a life outside of me, ya know."_ Jared's words echoed in the back of my mind. He was right, but I didn't want to admit it.

"So…am I getting details?" I smiled, playing the part of the little sister. I liked this, being able to pretend that we didn't have a care in the world again.

"Well he's…big…if you catch my drift, right?" I laughed at her innuendo.

"Did it hurt?"

"A little," she admitted. "But after a good 10 seconds it did not hurt at _all._" She winked at me. "It really wasn't bad. Why….are you planning to uhm…"

"Who, Jared?" I exclaimed, nearly toppling out of bed. She laughed at me but kept a serious face. "I mean…" my cheeks were flaming. "Of course I _would…_it's just that I don't know if it's an option right now.."

"Oh please, the kid can't get enough of you." Jordyn smirked, hopping off the bed and pulling her blue sparkly dress off.

"I'm guessing it was a fancy restaurant?" I asked, looking around the room.

"And a fancy hotel room." She winked. I rolled my eyes at her and grabbed a brush off my nightstand, ripping it through my hair. She started pulling on school clothes, a pair of jeans and a knit sweater. She tossed her blonde waves over her shoulder and threw her makeup bag onto her bed, setting down next to it and going to work.

"So what _is _going on with you and Jared?" She asked, padding her cheeks with foundation.

"I don't know," I sighed honestly. "I mean…I don't know."

"I heard them talking about you the other night." She murmured. "All the Elders, when they were talking to Mom at the fire. They think you have some weird bond or something, like you need each other around. All I heard was some mumbo jumbo about protection."

"Huh." I murmured, pretending not to know anything.

"Was he here last night?" she asked, stopping her makeup application. She raised an eyebrow at me as I smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sort of. Yeah. Okay, so yes, but we didn't do anything."

"You've spent the _entire_ weekend with him."

"He needs me, Jor."

"I know, I know, trust me I totally understand, what did you guys even do?"

I thought about answering honestly for a minute, wondering if I was willing to let go of the intimate moments between me and Jared. That was our secret, our safe place, and even if I was used to telling Jordyn e_verything_, I felt like keeping our "safe place" to ourselves meant that we had _something,_ not a relationship, maybe not even a complete friendship, but _something_ that held us together besides this stupid protection deal.

"We really just talked about it. I spent a few nights at Em's, you know. We all just spent time together, tried to heal him as much as we could."

Jordyn nodded like she understood.

"Why don't you just try honesty?" she asked simply as I slid out of bed and stretched, sifting through my closet.

"It's not exactly that simple." I murmured, pulling on some clothes. I ran my fingers through my hair again and splashed some water on my face in the bathroom. Ooo. Talk about rough. It looked like I'd been hit by a train too, which, it sorta felt like I did after the past few weeks.

I strode back into the room and plopped onto Jordyn's bed, allowing her free reign over my face. She prodded here and there, adding whatever she felt necessary to make me look presentable.

"Is he coming to school today?" she asked. I shrugged honestly. Who really knew? She nodded and finished with my face, dropping everything into her purse before grabbing my hand and skipping to the car.

She was chattering the entire way to school, Lucas this, Lucas that, and the more I listened to her sexual exploits, the more I wanted to have some more of my own. I thought about what it would be like to touch him, to feel his weight above me, to feel him _in _me, even, a burn growing between my thighs. It was warm, smoldering, and suddenly I wanted to be next to him 20 times more than I usually did, which was a lot. We pulled up to the school, the spring air washing over me with its confusing euphoria. It was warm outside today, bright, and spring was well on its way-but there was still a certain breeze in the air that had a tendency to catch you off guard if you didn't remember it was still late February.

The Pack boys were all leaning against Paul's black, shiny, Jeep, grins on all of their faces. Jared was with them, beaming when he saw me. Jordyn nudged me in the rib, winking as she skipped away to Lucas, who picked her up off the ground when they made contact, spinning her around. Boy, were they theatric. Jared jogged over to me, crushing me into his arms the second we made contact. I was lost in his scent again, the way he fit perfectly with me, his heat radiating all around us.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked quietly.

"Better when you got there." I smiled. "You should come over more often."

"Can I?" he smiled, excitement growing in his voice. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Anytime ya want." I winked as we started walking towards the building. "It's fun," I said quietly, nudging him. "It's like the stuff that only happens in movies."

"I _am _the stuff that only happens in movies." Jared countered, looping his arm around mine. His elbow was up to my collar bone, that's how freaking tall he was. We strode down the hall, people staring and whispering, of course.

"Don't mind them," he said softly, trying to soothe me. "We're apparently the only good thing that came out of the whole fire situation."

"We?" I asked, staring up at him. He blushed a little, running his free hand through his hair.

"We," he smiled. "We're best friends now, apparently."

"You think you have what it takes to be _my _best friend?" I teased.

"Are you kidding? People wish they could have me as a best friend. You should feel honored."

"I _feel_ late." I smirked, sliding into class, leaving him in the doorway.

"Can I come and get you after?" He asked, leaning against the frame. I looked over my shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. "Let me."

"Fine," I agreed, sitting in my seat behind Brady. "Come get me after."

I spent my entire Geometry class thinking of things to say when he came and got me. Of course, Katie's repetitive "psst"-ing and occasional tossing of paper at my head wasn't helping.

"What?" I snapped, whirling around in my seat to face her. She looked like she hadn't slept all night.

"I have to tell you something." I waited for it, but she just stared at me as if waiting for permission.

"Okay…?"

"Kim, I swear, you can't tell anyone okay? The only reason I can tell you is because…of your…friend…"

"Friend? Katie what are you-"

"Brady's a werewolf."

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to make sure she wasn't drunk again before bursting into laughter. I threw my head back, the loud noises flying past my lips before I could stop them. My stomach hurt so bad I could feel a six pack coming on. Katie's jaw was collecting drool on the classroom floor as she stared at me wide-eyed.

"What, you think I didn't know that?" I laughed, wiping my eyes. Katie's eyes got wider than I thought possible before she swatted at me. "Ahh, damn! What?"

"You knew he was a werewolf and you didn't tell me?"

"Well _of course _I didn't tell you, what the hell was I going to say?"

"THAT MY BOYFRIEND WAS A WEREWO-"

"KATIE!" I nearly tackled her, earning a dirty look from Ms. Newsom. "Katie, you can't just go around screaming things like that." I scolded, not taking my hand off her mouth until she nodded in understanding.

"I didn't even know what to say to him. He just sort of fessed up, like it exploded out of him while we were eating at McDonalds and yeah of course I thought he was crazy, but then he _showed me_ and-"

"He showed you?" I asked. Katie nodded. I furrowed my brow, trying to remember when I'd ever gotten to see Jared actually phase. Never. What was this nonsense? How come Katie got to see her macho man turn into a sexy beast but I didn't?

"Anyway, I ended up trying to walk away but it was like the second I saw him in his…wolf thing state I couldn't ever leave him. I swear Kim, I'm gonna marry him some day, I swear…" Her words rang in my ears, coated in my own envy. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. Sam and Emily, Katie and Brady…they'd all been shoved into the same situation that Jared and I had, but unlike Jared, their boys weren't being prudes whatsoever-trust me, I'd slept in a room next to Emily and Sam before, and there was almost no such thing as a quiet night for those two…

The bell rang, and as I scooped my things up, following Katie to the door, I'd nearly forgotten that Jared was supposed to come get me before running into him. He smirked at me, keeping me from toppling over.

"Again?" he laughed as I rolled my eyes at him. He could tell I wasn't teasing. He followed me to the cafeteria, Embry raising an eyebrow at him when I nearly threw all my things down and walked towards the salad bar. Jared was across from me, peering at me over the guard in seconds as I scooped lettuce onto my plate.

"What's wrong?" He asked, mirroring my every move with his own plate. "Kim, what's wrong?" he asked again, this time grabbing the tongs out of my hand. I looked up at him in exasperation, running my fingers through my hair.

"This isn't fair." I murmured. He furrowed his brow at me. I looked around, wondering if I was really brave enough to do what I wanted. I walked away swiftly, giving him the signal to follow as I waltzed up the stairs and into a dark classroom. Jared strode in past me, biting his thumb. I was making him nervous.

I leaned against the door and locked it, the pair of us staring at each other for a moment, the room growing hot with our anxiety for each other. He could feel it, the electricity buzzing between us, like our bodies had registered that we were finally alone again. Mine screamed for him, was begging me to leap across the desks and have him. I inched towards him.

"This isn't fair." I murmured again, shaking my head. Jared was trapped in my gaze, unmoving, his nails digging into the desk next to him as he fought himself. I was closer, closer, closer until we were inches apart, me staring into his dark brown eyes. "It isn't fair."

"What isn-"

"Sam and Emily. Brady and Katie. They're different."

"I can't help that, Kim."

"Yes you can." I breathed against his lips, standing on tiptoe and teasing him. I needed him to come to me, needed reassurance that it wasn't just me going insane on the inside. Jared was fighting with himself, his hands inching back and forth between my body and the desks, trying to hold himself back from grabbing me. "Come on, Jared." I whispered against his lips. If he needed encouragement, I was chock full of it.

His top lip brushed mine for a split second, his own mouth finally sinking into mine painfully, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar but refused to stop. It was like dipping your hand in acid, but loving the burn. Like adrenaline as it ran through your body, searing your veins but making you feel more alive than you ever have before. It was like a jumpstart, and I nearly flung myself at him.

He snatched my arms up in an instant, holding me back from him, his lips still struggling to meet my own. He was shaking furiously, and desks that had been within two inches from him were pulsating against the ground, shaking violently as if we were having our own personal earthquake in the small science room. His grip was vice tight around my wrists, and I could feel the tears start forming in my eyes as he pulled himself away from me again. Jared threw my hands away from his, nearly ripping the window pane from the wall, flowing nimbly down the tree outside of it. I watched his shaking figure as he bolted down into the pit of the baseball field faster than humanly possible.

I threw myself out of the window, climbing down the tree as fast as I could and following, going as fast as my legs would take me. He was convulsing in the corner of the baseball field. I scanned the area, there were no witnesses, no nothing in case he were to fall out and have a complete seizure. I moved to him, running my hands over his cheeks.

"Jared, Jared, come on, Jared, come on, look at me, you're okay, you're with me, you're alright." His shaking was only getting worse, he was trying to shove me away from him now, but I wouldn't have it. I grabbed his face in my hands and forced him to look at me, doing anything I could to get him to tell me what was wrong so I could help him. He looked scared, excruciatingly fearful and Emily's face flashed across my mind, initiating the start of my backtracking. I stumbled away from his as he exploded out of his skin, his clothes laying in bits and pieces around us as a massive 7 foot beast stood in his place. So that's what it was like to see…Maybe I should've left this adventure for Katie.

Jared howled loudly, forcing me to cover my ears before they were blown out. He leapt over me, dust swirling around my face as he dashed off into the forest. Embry was at my side in minutes, pulling me from the ground. He held me against his chest and rubbed my back, me nestling in between his shoulders quietly at the comfort. I felt odd, rejected, but not quite. I _felt _it. Needed it. The bond between us not only caused me to need him, but to need him to be _mine. _

Just like I had in Geometry, I spent the rest of the day thinking of things I could've said to get as many points across as once. I tried to conjure up the right words in hopes he'd reciprocate well, or at least the way _I _wanted him to. The last bell couldn't have come quickly enough, and as I threw my things into the passenger seat of Paul's Jeep, my mind was racing. I'd stopped at home, picking up the clothes Jared had left at my house the previous night. Emily didn't ask questions as I entered her house, just mentioned she needed errands to finish and that Sam and the boys were out. I trudged into the living room, my clothes damp from all the rain. It looked like the weather was channeling my mood. I threw myself onto the couch, waiting for what seemed like hours when Jared Thail's massive figure finally filled the doorway.

I stood silently, shoving the clothes against his chest and moving to the dining room to pick up my backpack. He looked at me confusedly as I swung the bag over my shoulder and started heading for the door. Jared blocked the door.

"Move." I ordered flatly, refusing to meet his gaze. He ducked down, trying to find my eyes but I kept turning away.

"Kim, please, just let me-"

"Move." I ordered again.

"I'm not letting you go home alone." He said, his voice throbbing with something scarier than I could even describe. It was a statement, not a suggestion, not an option, a flat out statement. I folded my arms across my chest, turning away from him as he headed upstairs to change clothes.

The second he was out of the room I strode out the door, the mud squishing beneath my boots. Of course he was following me seconds later, his voice murky against the heavy sound of the rain.

"Kim! Kim!" He picked me off my feet and I thrashed against his hold, my bag falling into the mud as he set me on my feet aimed towards the house, the rain soaking us both. I wrenched myself free from his hands, trying to grab my bag again. "Can you just listen to me please?"

"NO, I AM DONE LISTENING!" I shrieked. "I am SICK OF YOU!" every drop of hurt, every jealous sting, every rejection filled word was flickering at my tongue like a thousand suns, begging me to let it out. "I am sick of being the only one like this, Jared!" his dark eyes were focused on me under his mass of soaking black hair, hanging in curtains over his forehead. "I'm the only one, Jared! The only person who seems to feel it, or at least the only one who will admit they do!"

"Feel what?"

"Oh don't you dare," I growled fiercely, shoving him. "I don't want this anymore than you do, I can promise you that!"

"Oh yeah? That's it then, you want nothing to do with me?"

"Not you, IT! AND MAYBE NOT YOU EITHER!"

"THEN MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN STUCK TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PLACE."

"YEAH MAYBE! AT LEAST THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO KEEP IGNORING THIS LIKE IT ISN'T EVEN THERE!"

"IGNORING WHAT, HUH?"

"This!" I shrieked, pulling him to me. I wound my fingers in his hair, him wrapping his arms around my waist automatically. I brought his forehead to mine, knowing that I'd soon be cut off again but praying that I wouldn't be. I couldn't handle another episode of rejection, another shot of him telling me I was wrong. He struggled against my hold. "Don't!" I cried. He pushed down on my hips, seemingly fighting himself like he had before.

"Why are you doing this to me?" we both whined at the same time. The tears were the only cold things in contact with my skin despite the freezing rain, thanks to his warm arms.

"I need it." He breathed, his heart rate picking up furiously. "It hurts, Kim, God does it hurt but it's better. It's better if we stay the way we are-"

"Don't do this to me!" I whimpered. Jared looked like he was in excruciating pain, clutching me to him and shoving me away all at the same time.

"I need a reason, Kim. All the time, every day, it kills me just as much as you if not worse. I find excuses to touch you, to talk to you, I have to figure it out…" he started shaking again.

"This, this is exactly what I mean, I feel it Jared, you feel it, it feels better just to _touch _you, just to have your hands on me!"

"I can't drag you into this!"

"IT'S TOO LATE! I am in this whether you're with me or not! Why do you keep fighting with yourself? Did I do something, did I say something? I know I get into trouble all the time but I-"

"You did nothing wrong!"

I shook my head, feeling like the fight in me had burned out long ago. I was empty, I was giving up, the first time I ever had in my entire life. I released my grip on him, the pit forming in my stomach as he let me go. We were both crying silently, Jared shaking his head to himself, swearing quietly. I dropped my hands, everything starting to hurt all at once.

I moved around him, dipping to grab my backpack. The second I turned around, Jared ripped it from my hands, throwing it to the ground. His lips were on mine furiously, looking for something, trying to give anything, an excuse, an apology, a desperate 'I need you', it was all there at once, his tongue sliding across my lips as ours moved in sync.

His heat was everywhere at once and so were we-one second he had me pinned against the hallway wallpaper, the next I was kicking my shoes off as I straddled him on the kitchen counter. He hitched my thigh around his hip, running his hands all over my backside as I wound my fingers in his hair, having no intention to ever let him go.

"Kim, if we don't stop…" he breathed huskily, the sound of his heavy breathing making my blood hot. I shoved my lips to his again, not caring. I wanted him, I needed him, he was finally within my grasp and it was like drinking water after a two week drought, I just couldn't get enough.

He literally tore the clothes off of me. The sweater was lost somewhere in one hallway, my tank top ripped off in the bathroom. His shirt was lost in the dining room, he hovered over me as I laid on the table, ripping at the buttons at his chest. I clung to his broad shoulders, every inch of him begging me to explore it. I closed my eyes as he trailed his lips down my body, using nothing but his teeth to unbutton my jeans. Good Lord, this boy was good. They were off in an instant, and he was holding me by the thighs once again, me perched on his torso, planting kisses all over his jaw and face as he carried us up the stairs.

Jared threw us against the wall, the mirror cracking behind me, pieces of glass now littering the floor. Em was gonna be pissed about that one. Jared watched me unbuckle his pants, and when I had it off I kissed the buckle and threw it behind him, earning another horde of kisses. His tongue was scorching inside my mouth, ours working together like they'd been doing this for years. Even with all of the royalties I was being granted right now, my body wanted _more, _begged for it almost, like a crack addict. Jared nearly tore my bra off with his teeth, pausing a good 10 seconds to do nothing but stare at my chest as it rose and fell underneath him before running his tongue down my torso, planting kisses all around my bellybutton and using his mouth to pull down my underwear.

A moan slipped past my lips as his lips skimmed along the inside of my thighs, brushing against the core of me. Every muscle in my legs went haywire as his tongue went to work in a way I didn't even dream was possible, and I could feel myself starting to climb some sort of invisible ladder that kept begging me to go higher. He kept going, going, going, my toes curling until I felt like I was going to explode.

"Now!" I breathed, grabbing at his shoulder. He looked up at me, smiling broadly as he crawled over me once again.

Jared lowered, his length brushing against me as the same time his lips did, sending lava shooting through my veins.

"What a tease." I growled, rolling us over so that I was on top. My hair hung in curtains around us as my lips forced themselves on his, his hands groping at my backside as I lowered onto him. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt. How the hell I even managed to fit that inside me, the world may never know. Jared carried most of my weight in his hands, dropping me onto him slowly as to make sure the pain wasn't too much. When I'd finally popped on eye open to look at him, he laughed lightly.

"How bad is it?"

"I won't know until you move, will I Mr. Thail?" I murmured, moving my lips against his again. I raised, a satisfying moan flying out of Jared's mouth. He breathed out heavily, shaking his head.

"Dear God save me." He breathed, running his hands over his face. The reaction was exciting. I did it again, causing another, then another ,then another, until we had a steady rhythm. After a few minutes I could understand his enthusiasm, it was like the fire that had licked in my veins for him was now a smoldering, a low, comforting, sexy, flame burning in the pit of me, spreading throughout my entire body.

Jared growled and sat up, nipping at my collar bone as we stayed along with our rhythm my fingers clutching his shoulders, my toes curling as the ladder grew shorter and shorter. He stood, running me into the vanity, makeup and lotion and all sorts of bullshit clattering to the floor as he was in control now, deciding pace, deciding force-and boy was I happy to let him be in charge. My hair was in wild waves framing my face as he continued sliding his tongue around my mouth, running his hands everywhere at once, his heat surrounding me like I was having sex with the sun instead of my best friend.

We went everywhere possible. The bathroom floor, back to the dining room, we nearly broke a part of Emily's kitchen counter(which she would also be quite angry about), we were in the living room, the bedroom again, up against the wall, on the stairs, he kept pushing and pushing and pushing, the two of us going at it like there would be no end. As long as he wanted me to I could stay heated, stay ready for another round, and vice versa. It wasn't always sweet, it wasn't always gentle-we were plenty rough, scratching and giving love bites, and bruising, pushing, throwing, and God was it good. I didn't want the tender first-time go around, I wanted Jared Thail, and I wanted him _NOW. _

Jared held my hands above my head, the wallpaper brushing against my back, my legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed, taking me up higher and higher and higher until I couldn't even breathe anymore, let alone make sensible English words come out of my lips.

"Jared!" I breathed, clinging to him. He picked up the pace, going faster, needing one of his own now until finally he dug my wrists into the wall, moaning as he compressed me to the wallpaper, our bodies literally as close as possible. He peeled me off the wall and carried us upstairs again, giving light kisses on my lips each step of the way.

Sometimes it was sweet, sometimes we did cool it down-he'd keep a slow, steady beat, focusing more on letting me feel a little bit at a time instead of giving it to me all at once, planting light kisses all over my face, stroking hair away from my heated skin, cuddling me to him as we moved like one person-and then we'd be off again, I'd moan or he'd moan and it would set the other into a frenzy, we'd be at it again like we were wild animals, unsure of what else we could do to satisfy the need for each other. At some point, we'd both have to reach the top of our ladders, scratch that, not just reaching it, but getting to the top and kicking the son of a bitch over for making it such a painful, pleasant, heated journey. All it took was a touch. A look. A heavy breath, it didn't matter how many rounds had taken place, we would attack as soon as one of us felt the jolt for each other again.

"So you aren't just my bodyguard?" I asked, trailing the lines in Jared's palm with my fingertips as we laid tangled in a pile of white sheets on the floor, the color contrasting with his beautiful russet skin.

"Absolutely not," he murmured, lacing his fingers in mine and bringing them to his lips. "Much more. When a wolf Imprints, it's like the entire world suddenly revolves around her. You're literally finding your purpose in life in her, she's everything to you, you'd do anything for her, protect her, be a friend, a brother-"

"A crazed sex addict…"

Jared smiled at me before getting serious again.

"Why'd you do it, Kim? Why'd you stay with me for so long? I was horrid."

"You were confused," I corrected. "There's a strong difference between the two."

"Is there?"

"Mhmm. There's you, and then there's horrid." Jared smiled at my light-heartedness. "There was a time I really wanted to quit. Which was earlier today. But ever since the fire I felt it. There was this pull, like I had to be where you were, regardless of how I was being treated, I had to be treated some way by you."

Jared stared at me for a moment before kissing me on the forehead, pulling me tighter into him.

"Kimberly Conweller, you deserve more than me."

"Fine. Then I want you, _and _your heart." I murmured, closing my eyes and nestling against him. "All of it."


	11. Story Time

I was not expecting the pain, that's for sure. Even with the sun itself sleeping next to me, soreness washed over my body as I shifted, a groan slipping past my lips. Jared's eyes fluttered open at the noise, his thick lashes nearly reaching his eyebrows. He furrowed them as he took in my discomfort?

"Are you okay?" he nearly yelled, shooting upwards. His hands were roaming my body, turning me over here and there as if he were looking for something. _Please don't let there be bruises…please don't let there be bruises…_I prayed silently. Relief washed over me as Jared hadn't found any clues as to why I'd be in pain.

"Very sore. Very, very, very sore." I murmured, batting my eyes sleepily. Jared frowned.

"I was expecting that, Sam told us about it. I just…damn, Kim. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I said I was sore, not that I was sorry about it." I smirked. Jared rolled his eyes and crawled over me, cuddling me against his chest and planting kisses along my jaw. I giggled like a two year old at the sensation, the noise only getting louder when he attacked my ribs with his fingers. I thrashed in the sheets, begging him to stop, screaming that I'd pee myself if he didn't quit soon. I kissed him to make the tickles go away.

"You cheated." He frowned as I pulled away triumphantly. I shrugged, hopping out of bed too quickly and grimacing as the pain shot up in my legs. Jared laughed as I wobbled to the dresser, pulling out decent enough clothes to wear around the house.

They were waiting for us downstairs, annoyance written on Sam's face as he and Paul patched up a hole we'd put through the hall. Emily raised an eyebrow at me and stood as she put a few loose items she'd found on the floor in a cabinet.

"So…someone had fun last night." She smirked. I rolled my eyes, the heat rushing to my cheeks when she smacked my thigh, the pain causing me to stagger. "Sore, are we?" she teased, laughing when I swatted at her. "How was it?"

I thought about this for a moment as she handed me a mug of hot coco, sitting down at the table.

"Hot." I smiled. Em waited for details. "Just…hot. He was everywhere, you know how warm they are, but it was more than that. The stuff that runs through his veins is unmatched by anything I've ever witnessed in my entire life. He was an animal." I laughed at the corniness of my own words, unable to find any others that would still manage to perfectly describe last night. "He was amazing. I swear it felt like he invented the damn sport."

Jared swooped into the dining room, planting a kiss on my cheek before taking a seat next to me.

"You guys talking about my innocence?"

"Somewhat. We've come to the decision that you, Jared Thail, are irresistibly hot-blooded." I winked at him, earning another kiss, this one more passionate. If Emily hadn't coughed loudly, we probably would've put another hole in the wall. Jared and I stared at each other for a while before turning back to Emily, as if she had just arrived. She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Ugh! I give up, Sam! These two are a lost cause."

"No, no, no," Sam said, walking in and halting Emily's exit. He steered her back towards her seat, before taking it and setting her on his lap.

"We need to talk." He stared at us.

"It was Jared's idea." I blurted out, earning a swat from him. I scooped his jaw off the floor and smiled awkwardly, shifting on his lap. Sam's eyes shifted exasperatedly between us, seeming like he'd lost all hope for our pair.

"This has nothing to do with you two breaking my house," he grumbled. "Though I should sue you or something. This has to do with you and Emily." Em and I exchanged looks.

"What did I do?" She cried, swatting at him. He held her at arm's length, trying to avoid her wrath.

"You and Kim get in trouble _every _time you two are together-" our shouts of disagreement and defense flew across the dining room, Jared holding onto my hips as to restrain me from crawling across the table and clawing at Sam in Emily's aid. "You DO! You know it's true, both of you. So I need you to do me a favor."

I pouted on Jared's lap, crossing my arms as Emily did the same.

"You guys can't go anywhere with just the pair of you anymore. And we don't want you two to be alone, no matter where you're at." More shouts of disagreement.

"So what the hell am I supposed to do? Spend 24/7 with my parents? JORDYN? Have you ever spent an HOUR with Jordyn? God, it's worse than-"

"NO, you don't have to spend forever with Jordyn, you get to spend forever with me." Jared beamed. "If you don't mind." He added quickly. My heart melted at his words.

"Of course I don't mind." I smiled, and we were back to staring at each other for minutes on end. I pushed my forehead to his and wrinkled my nose.

"You're adorable."

"You're perfect."

"You're blind."

"I can see just fine, Mrs. Thail." I smiled unbelievably at him, throwing my arms around his neck and shoving my lips to his. Mrs. Thail? MRS. KIM THAIL? I nearly had a heart attack. I would've, if I hadn't been so comfortable in my current position. I could feel myself starting to get hot again, starting to want him like I had last night. Where was another wall when you needed one?

"AHEM." Sam coughed, startling us out of our stupor. I stared awkwardly around the room, trying to look at anything except his disapproving look. "We're serious about this, you guys need to be protected if these things don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."

Em and I rolled our eyes in sync, nearly unable to contain our annoyance. After agreeing not to be near each other without Sam or Jared present, I slid off my wolf boy's lap and threw on some clothes upstairs, Em tossing me the car keys as I headed out the door.

"What did we just talk about?" Jared cried, snatching the keys out of my hand. I shot him a look, grabbing for my escape-but he only held them up higher, and Lord knows that by the time I went and got a ladder, he would've found a place to hide them.

"Fine," I sighed. "Come with me then."

"Come home with you?"

"Well I wasn't planning on going anywhere else." I rolled my eyes again. Jared smiled triumphantly and steered me towards Emily's small car.

I watched the trees turn into a blur around us, keeping my eyes peeled for something interesting to look at.

"Are you mad I took you home?" Jared asked, worry filling his tone. I laughed a little to myself.

"You're cute when you're worried," I teased, poking him. "Of course I'm not mad, I just didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night." I winked. Jared laughed nervously and ran his fingers through his perfect straight hair. I bit my lip, staring at him for a moment.

"You regret it, don't you?" he asked quietly. I waited for him to catch my desperate expression.

"NO! No, Jared, I don't at all. Trust me, there's absolutely nothing about last night that I regret, and if there's no one I would've rather experienced it with." I replied quickly, nearly grabbing him and shaking him wildly.

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." I murmured, taking his hand and lacing my fingers with his. He smiled, turning a corner when Jacob Black stumbled into the middle of the road.

Jared slammed on the breaks, throwing his arm in front of me to stop me from being thrown into the dashboard. The tires screeched against the asphalt, stopping inches away from Jacob's shaking figure. He was convulsing, like he was having a seizure, like….

"Like you." I breathed. Jared looked at me worriedly. "Jared he's shaking like you and Sam, he's one of you!" Jacob's eyes shot to mine as if he'd heard me, his face starting to turn red. Jared nearly threw himself out of the car, wrapping his arms around Jacob and beginning to tow him away.

"Kim, drive home-I'll see you later, I promise, I-Damn, Jacob! Sit down!" Jacob wrestled against his hold, the pair of them exploding out of their skin at the same time. I watched my wolf tumble away with the other one, disappearing into the forest.

"Boys." I groaned softly, shaking my head before crawling into the driver's seat. I peeled the car off the side of the road, the trees moving swiftly next to me once more.

My window was a lot higher up than Jared had made it look. I threw myself at it and heaved, my legs kicking at nothing but air beneath me as I struggled to pull myself up. _Quiet, Quiet…_

"SWEET BALLS." I screamed, the window coming down on my lower back as I tried to slide to my familiar wooden floor. Jordyn shot out of bed, her blonde waves flying wildly around her. She raised an eyebrow as I twisted, my torso laying flat on the floor and my feet hitting the ground next to me. I opened one eye and peeked at her as she laughed quietly, throwing her face in the sheets to stifle her giggles.

"Another long night?" she teased. I rubbed my sore thighs.

"Very long." I groaned, crawling under my covers. We both laid back down, staring at each other from across the room.

"So…"

"So?"

"So where were you?" she cried.

"I _might _have been with Jared…" I smiled, knowing she'd love the juicy gossip. Her mouth fell open, her eyes wide.

"No."

"Yes ma'am."

"And…"

"And we broke things. Lots of things."

"Sexual barriers?"

"More than you'd approve of." I smiled. Her mouth fell open even wider.

"DID YOU GUYS?"

"…Perhaps."

"KIM CONWELLER YOU TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" She squealed, nearly tumbling out of her own bed and crawling into mine. I moved over under the covers to make room for her, like we had when we were 4 years old.

"Yes, we did." I caved. She waited for details. "We were fighting, practically screaming at each other and I was so mad that I just let it all out. I told him how pissed I was, I told him that I was sick of him leading me on and…"

"And what?"

"He kissed me. In the rain."

"You lucky bastard."

"He carried me inside, it was like the WHOLE time all I could feel was him, he was so _warm, _Jordyn!"

"Did he ask?"

"Of course he asked, but he didn't really need to. He was breathing so heavy he barely managed to get it out." We giggled. "Yeah, he just told me that if we didn't stop at that point we wouldn't be able to period…so we kept going!"

"Is he big."

"Huge."

"What? You could kill yourself like that!"

"Then again I was never a quitter."

"Kimberly Conweller!"

"What, it's a part of nature, hormones and what not."

"Do you regret it?"

"Of course I don't regret it, he's my best friend Jor."

"Two days ago you couldn't stand the kid."

"I'll never be able to stand the kid, but that's what makes me want to keep him around."

"So you two are….what? What are you two now?"

"Well I'd like to assume she's my girlfriend."

Our mouths both popped open in horror at the sound of Jared's voice. Slowly we pulled the covers off and sat out of bed, Jared leaning against the window and smirking, raising an eyebrow at us. We both fell into a fit of nervous laughter, burying ourselves in the sheets again.

"Sweet God help me." Jordyn laughed, sitting up. I leaned against the wall, pulling my knees against my chest and patting the spot on the bed next to me for Jared as he swung into the room numbly.

"A lot more graceful than Kim did it…" Jordyn mumbled, sticking her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes as Jared threw an arm around me.

"So what happened to Lucas?" I asked as she ripped a brush through her curls. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't even know. Well I do, but I don't. It's like you said with what's-his-face here, he's my best friend but I just can't stand him. We're too much alike!"

"Jordyn, he took the big V, you can't just get rid of him because he gets annoying every once in a while!"

"The big V was gonna get lost sooner or later anyway!" she cried. "And I wouldn't get rid of him for a stupid reason like that, if I ever got rid of him at all. I'm supposed to go see him tonight."

"Does Mom know you're leaving?"

"Does Mom ever know I'm leaving?"

"Good point." I laughed, leaning against Jar. He was warm. Cozy.

"You wouldn't tell on me, would you?"

"Did you really just ask me that question?" I eyed her and she shook her head.

"Sorry, sorry. Just nervous is all. Don't want anything bad to happen, you know how weird she gets."

"Oh most definitely, shame on her, being worried about those rebellious children of hers."

"We are NOT rebellious! Not in the slightest."

"No, never, not at all, especially not when we spend half our weekend crawling through our bedroom window."

"Whatever, everybody does that."

I rolled my eyes as she left for the bathroom, the shower coming on seconds later.

"How's Jacob?" I asked quietly, letting Jared pick me up and set me in his lap.

"He's been better, that's for sure."

"Was I right?"

"Aren't you always?"

"Jared…"

"Sorry, Sorry. Yeah, you were right. He isn't happy about it at all, especially now that he knows about the Cullens. He's-"

"Cullens? Like the family in Forks? I thought they were from Alaska?"

"Everybody thinks they're from Alaska."

"You don't mean they're-"

"Yep. 100%, except they don't eat human blood. They hunt animals instead."

"Huh. That's different…at least they aren't here to hurt anybody."

"Whatever, they're sick no matter what they're killing." The hate in his voice was shocking, I'd never heard it before and didn't think I'd ever have to with the way he usually acted. "Sorry." He murmured again. "It's a wolf thing. We have a natural…distaste…for all things vampire involved."

"Why?"

"It's just how it is. They're our natural born enemies, and no matter what they do, harmless or not, the second they move into town they cause problems."

"But I thought they didn't hurt people?"

"The Cullens don't, but their friends do, and as soon as any other leech moves into the area, somebody else turns. Seth Clearwater?"

"No, you're joking."

"Only took a few months after Harry died, and Sam just now found out. " I shook my head in disbelief. This was odd. Very odd.

We spent the rest of the day together like nothing had happened. Mom eventually woke up, doing nothing but raising an eyebrow at me when she spotted us sprawled out on the couch, bundled up like two Eskimos in Antarctica. Of course she fired millions of questions at him, How's your family, What's your favorite sport, are you a werewolf….

"Awkward…" Jared mumbled as my jaw hit the floor.

"I was bound to find out sometime," Mom smiled innocently, her eyes shifting between us. "The Elders are just as gossip-prone as the high school kids are around here." She laughed. "Of course we can't tell Jordyn, we can't tell anybody, not even about the Imprint."

"You know about that too?"

"Your kid falls in love with a lumberjack and starts sneaking out every other night and staying over at Sam Uley's, you're bound to found out why sooner or later Sweetheart. It's my job."

I smiled at Jared who was beaming at my Mom, in love with her sudden burst of understanding.

"What's it like?" she asked quietly. She was the second person to ask me that.

"Uhm….it's….different. It isn't like anything I've ever felt in my entire life, completely new, fresh, as if I didn't even think or know it existed. He's sort of my rock. As soon as something goes wrong my first instinct is to go find him, knowing he can fix it." I said honestly, my soft voice filling the room. Jared rubbed my side and kissed my ear softly.

"For us, it's more of a physical thing than a mental thing. I mean of course it's both, but physically she is the _only _thing that keeps me tied to this Earth. If she were missing, it'd be like walking in no man's land. I'd have no idea what to do with this world, just cause it isn't relaly a world without her. I need her to live."

My Mom shifted her eyes between the pair of us, a hint of envy glinting behind the joy in them. She bit her lip and nodded, heading off into the other room. When she'd left to go grocery shopping, Jared nudged my side.

"What was that about?"

"You saw it too, huh?"

"Did something happen?

I sighed, turning to face him so that we were both squished on our itty bitty couch. Jared stared at me intently.

"My Dad wasn't the best," I started, knowing it would be a long story. "He was good, I swear, he really was. It just….I…."

"Breathe. You're with me." He murmured against my ear. I took a deep breath and started over.

"He was a good father. Great, even. He was the best you could ask for, my best friend at times. But he drank a lot. More than a lot. After a while it got bad, he wasn't coming home some days, wasn't showing up at work, not sports games, not church, nothing ya know? When my Mom started asking questions he got really defensive, didn't want to talk to her about anything, to any of us for that matter.

'One night I woke up. I was 8, and I found him in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, just staring as if he were waiting for someone to walk through the door and kill us all. He looked scared, but as soon as he saw me his face stiffened out like it usually did. I sat across from him, and he was so quiet…

'He told me never to give up. 'Don't ever be a quitter, KBear. It'll ruin you, ruin everyone around you. No one should ever have the upper hand, no matter what situation it is. Take fear out of the equation. You're your own boss. Take fear out of the equation. Out of the equation.' And then he stuck a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger."

Jared's face was a mix of anger and distress as he clung tighter to me, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"There wasn't really much to do afterwards. I just stared at him, waited for him to get back up or something, waited for Jordyn to walk out and save me, but I was completely rigid. Eventually Mom came out having heard the noise and called 911. She just…it wasn't the same after that you know? It was different, always has been. Now the second either of us shows the slightest bit of rebellion she launches into a rant about how we're on a one-way track to hell."

"I love you." Jared murmured into my hair after a few moments. "I love you and I can't promise you that you'll never have to see anything like that again, but I will promise that I'll be there to keep the nightmares away afterwards."

I stared at the love of my life, wondering why I had no more objections to giving him my heart. I wanted him more than anything, I would kill for him, run through a field of leeches for him, chop out my heart and hand it to him on a plate if he needed it. I loved Jared Thail, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"I love you too." I whispered, closing my eyes as we cuddled.


	12. Everyone Was Doing The Dirty

"OMG YOU DID THE NASTY." Katie yelled, spilling her fries across the table. I threw a chocolate milk at her as Jordyn's jaw hit the floor.

"SHUT THE-LET ME GO!" I yelled as Paul dragged me halfway across the table, thwarting my attack on our friend.

"DID IT HURT? IS HE BIG? IT HURT A LITTLE FOR ME AND BRADY BUT LORD KNOWS HE'S HUNG LIKE A HO-"

"SOMEONE KILL HER NOW!"

"SHUT UP!" Jordyn screamed, nearly tackling Katie to the ground.

"I'M JUST SAYING I COULDN'T EVEN WALK STRAIGHT AND HE BARELY WENT-"

"I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN."

"KIM THAT HURTS YOU'RE-"

"JORDYN-"

"KATIE MATLIN SO HELP ME GOD I WILL-"

"OW, HEY! PAUL GET OFF ME-"

"JARED I BITE, DON'T TOUCH MY-"

Everyone's eyes were on us as the boys pulled us all a part. I rolled my eyes and sat back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest.

"We are NOT talking about this." I ordered. Katie gave a sigh of disappointment while Jordyn muttered a "Thank God."

"You guys, look." Jordyn said softly. We followed her gaze as Jacob Black lumbered across the cafeteria, coming in through one door and disappearing through the other.

"He's back." I murmured quietly. Jacob hadn't been to school in weeks, and now that he'd returned he'd looked more distressed than ever. I looked to Jared, who nodded with a sigh.

"He's been one of us for a while now, though I'd say he has it the worst."

"Why?"

"He won't give in, almost like he's trying to refuse being a part of the Pack."

"So? Isn't that optional?"

"Sort of, but next to you the Pack is the most important thing in my life. Our entire mentality changes when we do, having no pack is like having no family. Jacob's gone at least four months without cracking a smile around us, all over some stupid girl."

"Girl? Didn't you say your Imprint was the most importan-"

"She is, trust me, she is," I smiled at his eagerness to prove to me that I was important to him. "But she isn't his. If she was, we'd know-he wouldn't even be able to _look _at other girls. As part of the Pack we can read each other's minds when we're…changed. It helps with fighting, a leg-up on anyone we have to attack or defend ourselves against."

"Why so hung up on her then?"

"Probably because the kid was nearly in love with her before he even changed. Our bodies are nearly unrecognizable after we change, so is everything on the inside. Every sense we have is heightened, sight, hearing, _smell_," he murmured in a sexy voice, nuzzling me and kissing my forehead before smiling and returning to his lecture. "Every emotion we feel is 100x stronger than before, it's just how it is-so really, I'm surprised the kid hasn't flung himself off a cliff yet, which is what she's already tried to do."

I shot him a look.

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"Jeez, what's with her?"

"She was attached to one of the Cullen's. They dated for a good while before he just up and left with the rest of his family, and now Jacob's trying to play duct-tape and put Humpty Dumpty back together again."

"Lord knows that's impossible."

"Exactly. If I had to, I'd put money on the fact that she's sort of using him."

"Why'd they leave?"

"None of us know. We don't really associate, it's in our blood to want nothing to do with them, you know?"

"I suppose. Doesn't it ever get bothersome?"

"What?"

"Being a wolf. It sounds like a whole lot of work and a whole lot of bullshit all so you can get in life-threatening situations and nearly lose your minds to reality."

"Nah. If it wasn't for being a wolf, I wouldn't have been able to find you the first time you got your ass in real trouble."

I shuddered at the memory of Mr. Davens, earning a frown from Jared. "Don't freak," he said, wrapping an arm around me. "You're mine now, and since you know now, there's nothing that should keep you from feeling safe."

I smiled at him, leaning into his side as the rest of our table chattered amongst themselves. Embry shot Jared a look, and he shook his head slightly, a movement so subtle that if I hadn't been paying close attention I wouldn't have caught it.

"Jared." Embry murmured.

"Not yet." Jared growled, the sound frightening me slightly. I pretended not to hear the exchange and continued to prattle along with everyone else.

The bell rang somewhere in the back of my mind, hidden behind theories of what the hell those two could've been talking about. I spent the entire day thinking about it in fact, chewing on the end of my pencil in every class until there was nearly nothing left of it. I'd earned several worried looks from Jared, able to give a fake enough smile that he'd leave it alone. Was it leeches? Jacob? Was there something I hadn't even heard about yet? Sam and Emily had kept their distance for weeks, I wasn't hearing from _anyone _in fact, and on the rare occasion that I managed to rip Katie free from Brady's grasp, she was too busy talking about missing him to think about anything else. I knew what I had to do, regardless of what Jared had been telling me since the car incident.

"It's been awhile, Buddy." I murmured to my windowsill before gripping it and swinging my legs over. I landed on the ground with a light thud, checking over my shoulder to make sure Jordyn hadn't woken up.

It was freezing outside, even with my 300 layers of clothes I could feel goosebumps raising along my arms and legs. The trees blurred around me, the cold air stinging my face as I ran through the woods. I listened to my own heavy breathing, the snap of the twigs and leaves beneath my feet. I prayed that Jared wouldn't be on patrol tonight, or would at least be far enough not to catch my scent.

Emily's house looked cozy, a faint light coming from her bedroom window.

"..A lot higher than it looks…" I grumbled quietly to myself as I attempted to scale the side of her house, nearly falling off the gutter on several occasions. I shimmied along the edge of her front porch, finally pushing up on my hands once I got to the middle, swinging my right foot onto the plain and following with the left. I rolled onto my back, huffing and puffing more dramatically than the big bad wolf. "Piece of cake." I breathed heavily.

I crawled along the roof, stopping outside her and Sam's room. There was light seeping underneath the bathroom door. I tapped on the window. Nada. I tried again. Nothing.

"God dammit Emily." I growled, pushing on the window. The damn thing wouldn't budge. I pushed harder, digging my feet into the roof until finally I heard a pop, the window swinging wide open. Emily screamed, jumping back into the bathroom as I toppled to the hardwood floor, landing on my ass once again. Well…If Sam didn't know ten minutes ago, he sure did now. I peeked at her from underneath my hood, her narrowed eyes growing wide as she realized it was me.

"Kim!" she squealed, nearly dropping her towel as she scooped me up into a bear hug much too tight for her itty bitty size. I laughed, my heart getting warmer and warmer as I hugged her back. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Someone's been ignoring my calls for weeks now, so I had to take control of the situation." I smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. She smiled at me sheepishly.

"Kim…I really didn't mean it, I promise. Sam said we weren't allowed within 3 feet of each other, every time you called he found a way to keep me…busy…if you catch my drift."

"Emily, I called at least four times a day.."

"They're werewolves, Kim. They could run 5k's and never get tired."

I rolled my eyes at her as she pulled on her clothes and pulled the towel off her head, running a brush through her thick black strands.

"I came for a reason."

"Duh."

"Do you know what's going on with the boys? They're…acting funny. Nobody's been allowed to talk to me for weeks, Em. Not Brady, not Embry, he and Jared had a super tense exchange at lunch today, but no one will tell me what about."

"You think they're hiding something from us?"

"So you don't know what it is?"

"No, I mean nothing big has really happened except for Seth, he and Leah phased a good week ago."

"Leah? Leah Clearwater?"

"Yeah, they're siblings. She's the first female in the tribe to ever have the gene, and Sam's been having a really rough time."

"Why? I thought you were his Imprint, I thought they couldn't see anybody but us."

"Well they can't," Emily said, throwing her hair in a bun and laying down against the bed. I crawled over next to her. "Not when they're wolves, at least. You have to remember they had lives before us, Kim. Sam and Leah were in love, they couldn't stay away from each other really."

"And then he saw you…"

"You're a smart girl. Of course it killed me, we're cousins. Do you know what it felt like to betray your own family? It was like sticking a knife in my chest and twisting over and over-then again, I guess I paid for it somehow," she smirked, pointing to the marred side of her face. I frowned at her for suggesting such a thing. "He had to end it with her, and of course he and I tried to stay away from each other, but it just doesn't work like that. We had to be together, it was the only option we had if you asked us. So we got together, invited her to the wedding, of course she didn't come, she wouldn't even look at me. Now that she knows, we were able to answer the question of _why, _but we'll never be able to answer her question _why me._ It only makes it worse that they can hear each other's thoughts, Sam says she's a real bitter pain in the ass these days."

"Huh." I murmured, staring at the ceiling and mulling over her words. "Wait…" I said softly, sitting up and frowning at her, my strands falling over my face as my hood slid down my head. "Why would Seth and Leah change if we got rid of most of the leeches in La Push? I thought that only occurred when new ones came into town."

"Their genetics can't exactly tell who's new, Kim, that's crazy. It's not if they're new, it's if any of them enter town period."

"But Jared promised they hadn't seen any new faces, and the ones that have managed to stick around aren't seeming to recruit anybody."

"It was sort of expected with the Cullen's returning I suppose."

"The Cullen's are back?"

"Sweetheart, they've been back. He didn't tell you?"

"He hasn't told me anything." I murmured, staring at the floor. "Why wouldn't he tell me anything?"

"Kim…there's another thing."

"What other thing?"

"While I was in the bathroom I was…doing something, and I-"

"Em, I don't want the masturbation speech, really, I-"

"No, stupid," she muttered, swatting at me. She disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a tiny white stick in her hand, tossing it into my lap. I pulled it closer to my face, staring at the two pink lines on the small screen.

At first, I couldn't comprehend. I didn't know what she was trying to show me. And then it clicked. My jaw hit the floor and I stared at her beaming face, shaking my head in disbelief.

"No. No way!"

"I told you he was keeping me busy."

"Emily, this is amazing! Have you told Sam?"

"Of course I haven't, I just found out today! Oh God, Kim he's gonna be so excited. All he talks about is having kids."

"Emily, this is ridiculous, I don't even know what to say!"

"You can't tell anyone, it's a surprise."

"Promise, promise, promise. Pinky swear! Names?"

"Nope, not yet." Emily shrugged and pulled me off the bed, leading me downstairs to the kitchen where a pot of hot coco was sitting on the counter. I nodded when she asked if I'd like some, taking my usual spot at the table, pulling my hoodie off.

"Speak of the Devil…" Em muttered, pulling mugs out of the cabinet as the boys all came through the front door, laughing and shoving each other playfully. Jared stopped mid-chuckle when his eyes met mine. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hey Seth." I murmured sadly as he brushed past me. He smiled at me weakly, tussling my hair and taking a seat next to me. "How's Sue?"

"She's doin' better, you know. I think Charlie's helping her out a lot."

"What a man's lady," I teased. "Where's Leah?"

"Why does it matter where Leah's at?" a voice hissed behind me. I turned in my seat, Leah Clearwater curling her lip in disgust at my appearance.

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all." I shrugged. I'd lived with Jordyn for 16 years, there was no way this girl could get under my skin. Compared to my sister, she was child's play.

"I can take care of myself."

"Right, that's why your shoulder's bleeding." I retorted, nodding towards the gash on her upper arm.

"They're fast."

"If you were able to take care of yourself, that wouldn't be a problem," I murmured. "There's no shame in having a family, Leah." I turned away, sipping on my coco again as Paul and Embry raised their eyebrows at me, smiling in pride. Jared kissed my temple.

"That's my girl, Kimmy."

"You couldn't tell me the Cullens came back?" I asked quietly.

"Doghouse." Paul fake-coughed, as the rest of the boys left the room.

Jared pursed his lips awkwardly and eased into his seat, folding his hands in front of him sheepishly and waiting for me to set him on fire.

"I wanted to keep your mind at ease?"

"Oh come on, Jar. What happened to us being secret-sharers? You can't join the secret club and then NOT abide by secret club rules, that DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF BEING IN THE-"

"Obviously I didn't want you freaking out like this!"

"I'm not freaking out about the Cullen's, Jared, I'm freaking out about the fact that you didn't tell me!"

"Does it really matter to you that much if I could be protecting you?"

"Protecting me from what?"

"I don't know…doing something…"

"Stupid."

"Irrational, there's a difference."

"Is there? Cause I don't see a distinction."

"I just didn't want you to worry about anything."

"They're vampires, Jared. You've saved me from them before and you can save me from them again."

He smirked, pulling me from the chair and sitting me on the counter. I let him settle between my legs, our noses touching.

"Your faith in me is ridiculously attractive."

"I would come up with something smart to say but I don't even remember my own first name right now."

Jared smiled and pushed my lips to his, squeezing my hips as I ran my fingers through his hair. He winced slightly as I grabbed his arm. I furrowed my brow at him and examined his bicep, careful not to touch the dark purple skin that covered most of it.

"They weren't fighting fair tonight, were they?" I asked softly, kissing it. Jared shook his head and frowned.

"Can we just go home?" he whined. I nodded, biting my lip. Jared looked at me and smiled. "What is it you want?" he asked teasingly.

"A ride."

The wind was like razor blades against my face as I clung to Jared's thick fur, the trees becoming a mass of black around us. I squealed like a two year old little girl, my laughs echoing off every surface in the forest. I was flying, unstoppable, no one could catch me, could catch _us _because this was our world for the taking and we had all the time the universe could offer.

Jared tossed me through my window, landing me on my feet with a light thud before pulling himself in. We snuggled underneath the blankets. He wrapped his arms around me as I face him, our faces centimeters away from each other. I loved being so close to him.

"Jared, I gotta tell you something!" I whispered, smiling. He closed his eyes, smirking at me.

"Yes?"

"You gotta promise not to tell."

"I promise."

"Really, Jared."

"Really."

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross it."

"Pinky swear?"

"Kim."

"Okay, okay….Emily's pregnant."

"Is she really?"

"Mhmm. Isn't that exciting?"

"Not as is exciting as if you were pregnant."

"I'm 16."

"Back in the olden days.."

"Jared!"

"Kidding, kidding. I wouldn't do that to you."

"You wouldn't?"

"Now you're being tricky."

"I'm making hee-haw's."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You know, jokes. Hee-Haw's."

"Kim, go to sleep. You're gonna need it 10 years from now when you're in labor with my child."

"I'm going to be in labor with you-"

"Are you asking me that question? I mean we'll be married, have a house, of co-"

"You want to marry me?"

"I'm not gonna marry anyone else."

"I would hope not."

"What are we gonna name him?"

"You want a boy?"

"I don't want anyone taking my place."

"Kim, the only girl I will love as much as you is our daughter. Even then she will not take your place, I promise."

"Let's name him Jared."

"Hell no."

"I think it's a great name."

"I think that's lame, generation names are poo."

"Poo?"

"You said 'Hee-Haw' five minutes ago, you have no room to comment on my vocabulary."

"I can comment on what I want. I run this joint."

"What the hell are you smoking?"

"I am a rockstar."

"I love this side of you, I swear. If it didn't exist, you just wouldn't be Kim."

"Kimmy the Queen."

"Great, I'm gonna marry a diva."

"Hmm?"

"I mean it. One day I'm gonna ask you."

"One day I'll say yes."


	13. I'll Follow You Anywhere

**Hey guys! So I know I haven't been updating nearly as much as I usually do, but track season just started and I need to get on my A-Game, so when I'm not at practice I'll make sure to write! This chapter is really short, I know, but Jared and Kim's story is coming to an end...the question being whether it'll be good or bad...**

**Songs used:**

**Dumbledore's Farewell-Nicholas Hooper**

**A Living Funeral-Hans Zimmer**

**Silence-Hans Zimmer**

* * *

><p>Jared and the rest of the boys set Mrs. Thail's casket at the head of the large room, the white tapestry matching the wood surrounding her. Red and white roses sprung to life around the altar, courtesy of Emily and I. The usually dark red carpet lining the pews was now a bright, pure white, the wooden pews being the only dark things in the room. Jared took one last look at the closed casket, his hands balling into fists as the pastor began his prayer.<p>

I kept my eyes wide open, locked on Jared's face as everyone else bowed their heads in prayer. Emily fidgeted uncomfortably next to me. When the prayer was over, the pastor launched into his sermon, spewing day-to-day nonsense about how everyone is special, especially Amanda Thail. Jared didn't want to hear it, I could tell-and when he took the stand I could see the nervousness in his eyes.

"My mom…she…" he was trailing off every few seconds, unable to look anybody in the eye. "She was just...When my mom died, I...Kim…"

I stood from my seat immediately, whispers flying across the room as I took Jared's hand in front of the crowd. He pulled me slightly in front of him, looking to me for answers.

"I can't tell you that we can bring Amanda back." I stumbled, clearing my throat. "She was a great Mom, and a…uhm…." I bit my lip, several annoyed faces showing themselves in the sea of people. I shook my head, glancing at Jared.

"People die every day," I said firmly, gripping the stand. "There is absolutely nothing we can do to bring her back…but we can keep her from taking whatever we have left. Amanda loved everyone. Stranger, tourist, hell, she was the only one who you'd have to talk _out _of adopting a stray baby mountain lion." The crowd chuckled through tears. "Now a few weeks ago, we lost her in an accident that no one will ever forget, and that's okay. It's okay…because it wasn't our decision to keep her here. It was never up to us. I mean how selfish would we be to keep her cooped up in La Push Washington, when there's an entire kingdom full of angels that haven't ever gotten to witness one of her ridiculously corny jokes?" more laughter. "I can't say anything to make you all feel better," I laughed quietly, a few tears streaming down my own face. "And that's not what a funeral is about. I'm not supposed to make you all smile, make you all believe that you'll never be upset about it again…because I can't, and you won't. Cry!" I laughed again, this time everyone letting the waterworks flow. "Just cry. Because this is the place to do it. It's our home, it's our friend, our mother, sister, daughter….a part of our heart was broken off. Mourn for it."

Jared buried his face in my shoulder, his grip on my waist tightening.

"The night of my Dad," I piped up, knowing full well that everyone had heard the story. Gasps filled the air, everyone unsure of how to respond to the topic none had spoken of publically in years. "Amanda was one of the first people I spoke to. She was the only one out of all the women there who'd come to comfort my mom that night who spoke to me, and only me. Everyone had assumed that I either didn't understand or didn't want to-and Amanda was the first one to touch me. The first one to baby me for the first time in years, the first one to tell me that I was going to be okay, the first one who remembered what it was like to be so small. She had one of the biggest, brightest hearts I'd ever experienced and she wasn't a person….she was just that, an experience. To be around her was a lesson... to see her smile, to hear her laughing. She wasn't like everybody else, and no it's not fair, and yes we're going to cry about it, and yes we're going to miss her but have any of us thought about where she's at right now? Would you rather be here, or would you rather be up there, exactly where we all know she's supposed to be? She wasn't meant for this, she wasn't built to deal with all this nonsense and it's because she was so fragile…she was like a feather, she was soft, like her heart was too good to understand what any of this meant or where it would lead. She was meant to protect, and watch, and love, and she's gonna continue that up there. She's gonna continue it. "

Jared turned me around and stared at me, pleading eyes boring into mine.

"Will you help me do it?" he asked quietly. I nodded and we turned around, lifting the lid of the casket gently. Jared stared down at the beautiful woman in front of him, tears streaming down his cheeks again.

Amanda Thail's long black waves rested gently against her slim ribcage, her pale fingers intertwined with one another on her stomach. Her lips were a light pink, her lashes curled and thickened with black mascara. She had the same nose as Jared-small and button like for her face, her chin coming to a soft point, her high cheekbones coated in light pink. Jared fiddled with a white bead on her torso, the long, blue dress shimmering as the sun started seeping through the windows. He bent over and kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He whispered, pulling off one of his dog tags and slipping it around her neck.

Immediately after releasing her, his hand found mine-and I felt it. It was like an instantaneous click, the second he said a final goodbye to her, his words from weeks ago echoed in the back of my mind-"You're literally all I have left." The truth of it was weighing on me, seeping into my skin, thickening my blood, strengthening the millions of steel cables that bound us together-my anchor was now 20x heavier if ever possible. He was mine, and I was his. For the first time in forever, I felt like I was finally someone's main priority, someone's muse, somebody's favorite person, and it was making my heart melt even in such cold environments. I tightened my grip on his hand and he immediately jerked me closer to him.

There was no resistance, I fell into his chest as if there was no one else in the room but us. His scent washed over me, and I was inhaling like a drug addict. His suit was bunching up in my fists, his fingers were winding themselves through my hair, and I felt the rain starting to seep through the ceiling as warm, salty, drops of water hit my cheeks. I wiped away one of Jared's tears before it had time to slip away from his jaw and took my lips to his. It was like medicine for both of us, as if we were an addiction to each other, a basic human need instead of a love.

I watched silently in Jared's arms as parents and relatives and neighbors all made their ways up the altar, leaving roses tucked into the small woman's casket. She looked peaceful. Happy. One of the firemen had been able to drag her out before she'd been lost completely, and some doctor in Forks was willing to reconstruct her so Jared could have one last look. It was amazing what the people down here would do for each other.

"Jared." Sam murmured. Reluctantly, my love let me go as he and the other boys hoisted her coffin across the altar and started making their ways down the church steps outside, nothing but the sound of heels on granite filling the air as we all followed closely behind. They carried her all the way down the block as Sue Clearwater sang softly in the middle of our line, everyone's feathers and ashes in hand. We followed the boys into the cemetery, and as they began lowering her into the ground, we all brought our hands to our lips, blowing the glittering ashes gently over her body. The feathers floated sweetly through the air, some getting caught in the coffin, some landing on her petite body, the ashes flying wildly around us as she disappeared beneath the surface of the ground. Jared shut her casket softly, some of the younger children tucking their feathers into the bottom of her tombstone as the older men buried her.

Jared stood and faced me, the rain starting to actually kick in, sprinkles beginning to coat everyone's clothes. I looked up at my beautiful man, his dark eyes rimmed with wet, thick eyelashes. He looked worse than I'd ever seen him. Broken and in love all at the same time, but then again who could ever tell the difference?

"I love you." I murmured softly. "You need to hear it."

"I need to feel it." He corrected, stroking my cheek. We stared at each other for a moment, soaking each other up. We just wanted to stay here forever. Stay with each other.

"Jared? I'll follow you anywhere." I said softly.

"Promise."

"Promise."


	14. Who's House?

Sam tossed the stack of papers on the table in front of Jared and I, smiling broadly.

"That's the last of them, all signed. You're officially a part of the Uley family."

"Sam, you didn't have to-"

"You're practically one of us anyway. We're all family, Jared." I watched as the two brothers exchanged hugs, Jared blurting out 'Thank You's every three seconds. "That isn't all." He said softly, stepping back and wrapping an arm around Emily's waist. The two exchanged looks as Jared shot me one of his own. I shrugged, Jared wrapping himself around my back.

"We want to show you guys something." Emily smiled, fishing another paper out of her back pocket and holding it out. Jared motioned for her to hand to me as he shoved his hands in my front pockets, resting his chin on my shoulder. I laughed, wondering how awkward he must look with me being nearly a foot shorter than him. I slid off the seal to the yellow paper, unfolding it softly as if it could shatter in my hands were I not careful.

My eyes skimmed over the page. It didn't make sense. It was a deed, obviously, but a deed to a house, and the only house here was Sam and Emily's. Jared got so confused that he pulled a hand out of one of my pockets and took the paper gently away from my fingers to read over it one more time.

"I don't get it." He said after five minutes of trying. I raised my eyebrows at the people in front of us, waiting for an explanation.

"It's a deed." Emily smiled broader. Jared shot her a look.

"Yeah…we caught on to that part…"

"It's a deed to a house."

"No, Em, it's a deed to a farm." I said flatly, staring dead at her. She rolled her eyes at my sarcasm and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"It's a deed to Jared's father's house."

I nearly felt Jared's jaw hit the top of my shoe, every muscle in his body tensing-and boy let me tell you there were a lot of muscles in that boy…

"I haven't seen my Dad in forever."

"We know, but-"

"14 years, Sam." Jared growled. Sadness rushed over me. I knew just how important father figures were for daughters, I couldn't imagine it being any easier for boys. I leaned against the front of Jared's chest, rubbing the arm that still had it's hand shoved in my pocket. He wrapped the other around my front and held onto his own arm, creating some sort of fortress for me to feel safe in.

"We know, Jared," Sam stressed again. "He's been around a lot longer than you thought."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your Dad lived in La Push for years by himself before he left you and your…your Mom." The word _Mom _had been touchy for weeks. "He made himself a house, some sort of hideaway I guess."

"Why didn't he just live with my grandparents before they died?"

"They didn't want him." Sam shrugged. "You're quick to hate the idea of your father, Jared. But he was a lot stronger than you think. He left more than just you and your Mom here."

"You're saying his house is still around?"

"Your house." Sam smiled, pointing to the paper in Jared's hands. I raised my eyebrows and Jared and I exchanged looks. "It's here." Sam murmured, handing Jared an old curtain and letting him sniff at it. "You'll be able to find it easily with the scent."

"Will you come with me?" Jared asked softly, staring at me. I shot him a look. He was so small, so child-like. When it came to the rest of the world Jared was the man of all men, any stereotype you could think of. He was the quarterback of the football team, the CEO of a huge company, he ran with the top dogs and almost every boy I knew envied the position he held with the top of the food chain…yet when it came to me, he seemed like a timid first grader.

"Of course I'll come with you. You never have to ask me stupid things like that." I assured him, smiling. He grinned at me and started stripping down, Emily gasping an 'Oh My' and scurrying out of the room, Sam close behind her. Jared threw his cut-offs to me, and I tossed them over my shoulder as we headed into the backyard. I heard a loud roar as Jared exploded from his skin behind me. I turned to face the giant brown wolf, showing all of his razor sharp teeth. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Show off." I murmured, crawling onto his back. He laughed deeply, rocking on his hind legs and shooting off into the trees. I barely had time to wave at Emily as she watched us from the window, their large house becoming smaller and smaller in seconds as Jared took us through the woods. I closed my eyes, soaking in the rare sunrays as they showered the both of us, nuzzling myself in his fur.

We came to a halt after a few minutes as he stopped and poked his nose through the air, me having to cling to his fur as to not fall off. I watched as he closed his eyes and sniffed about the air, searching for the scent. I climbed up his back even higher, shoving the curtain up his nostril again. He laughed and rolled us over, hovering over me on the ground as I laid underneath him. He stared at me for a moment, nuzzling my cheek softly with his massive head. I closed my eyes, running my fingers through his fur and planting a kiss on his cheek before climbing onto his back again. We were off once more as he knew exactly where to go this time, slowing only when we grew close enough that the house was in sight. I scurried off and left his shorts at his nose, brushing through the bushes until I was standing in a front yard.

It was beautiful. Obviously it wasn't a mansion, no multi-million dollar house, but that was the point. It wasn't a house, it was a home. Mr. Thail had etched every teenage sense he could into this home, and it was noticeable. There were three black steps leading up to the large wrap-around porch, contrasting with the tan siding. The shutters matched the porch, along with the roofing.

"It's your house." I smiled when Jared gestured for me to go first.

"_Our _house." Jared corrected in a sexy voice, brushing his lips against my ear. I smirked at him and made my way up the stairs, swinging open the wide dark door.

All the floors were cherry wood, sunlight seeping through every room on the first floor. The living room was to the left, large and painted a dark green, with burgundy sofa's lining the wall. A black coffee table sat in the center, a nicely sized t.v. on a stand in the corner. There were pictures of Jared and his Mom all over. The kitchen was painted yellow, white granite countertops matching the table in the center. The fridge was a bright silver, sitting happily next to the large walk-in pantry. The bathrooms were all full, complete with showers and tubs, a small guest room next to the large dining room.

Jared followed me upstairs, heading first to the master suite. It was bigger than the dining room and living room combined. The walls were a creamy color, texturized. A large black-wired king sized bed sat at the far end of the room, black bookshelves at both sides. The comforter was golden, matching the curtains that hung over the floor to ceiling windows that lined the wall across from the door. Different books and vases were snuggled amongst the shelves, a fireplace in line with the one downstairs in the living room-this one was against the wall to our left. I walked towards the bathroom that was nestled next to the fire place, flipping on the lights and smiling broadly. The counter was a sweet pearly color, the tan wooden cupboard etched with beautiful designs. I raised an eyebrow as my eyes landed on the larger-than-necessary bathtub that sat across from the shower.

"Kim!" Jared called. I hustled out of the room and followed his voice down the long hallway, furrowing my eyebrows at the number of room in this household.

"This place is huge." I murmured, looking to him.

"I know."

"What's wrong?" I asked. Was it too big? Not big enough?

"Nothing, just wanted you to see it all, that's it." He said, leading me into the first room on the left. It was large and dusty, as if it'd never been used. "The other ones already have beds in them." He said matter-of-factly."

The only things on the wall were pictures of Jared's family and a few friends. I studied one of his mother and the strange man next to her before taking my eyes to Jared again. He was tracing his fingers along the wall where a small nook was set in the end of the room.

"It's the perfect place for a crib." He murmured softly, and I wasn't sure if I was meant to hear it or not. By the look on his face, I wasn't.

"Someday." I promised him. "Someday we will." It was almost as if I was trying to ready myself for the process, for the adventure that having kids would hold. I was 16, having kids was one of the last things on my mind, but as I thought into my future, having kids with Jared was at the top of my list, right behind marrying him.

"You think so?" he asked innocently. I thought over it for a minute, nodding as he edged closer to me. "What are we gonna do with this room, though?"

"Paint it blue." I said matter of factly, holding tight to my idea of having a boy.

"Or pink."

"Or BLUE, Jared."

"Nope."

"It's OUR house, meaning I get to do whatever I want." I smiled.

"It's not very us-y, don't you think? We need to make it ours."

"Any ideas?" I smiled as his fingers brushed against my waist.

"A few." He murmured, taking his lips gently to mine. It was a sweet kiss, but I knew it wouldn't last long. Jared hitched up my thighs in minutes, holding me against the wall. It was as if he had a new philosophy, gentle with the lips and rough with the body. I could feel him straining against himself as he pressed his body to mine harshly, being careful and kissing only as harshly as I did.

I wound my fingers in his hair and ran my tongue across his bottom lip, earning a moan. It turned me on like nothing else ever had, the sound of him having a hard time with me. I used my grip around his waist and pulled him closer to me, using my legs to grip him down. It was like he was my prisoner and I was in control as he leaned his palms against the wall, letting me roam his body however I pleased.

I gripped his jaw with one hand and directed his mouth towards mine, using the other to work at the button of his cut-offs. In seconds the button was gone and the zipper was down, it breathed new life into my man like some sort of drug and he was animated once again, releasing whatever animal he'd been holding back. I used my foot to pull down his shorts as I was still up against the wall, and he took advantage of my position, rubbing himself against me. I could feel him through my jeans, and boy was I about to have a good time. I watched as Jared went from button to button on my shirt, undoing each with his teeth as he held me up. He kissed along my shoulder, sliding down the sleeves and setting me down momentarily to inch my shorts down with his fingers at the same time.

"You're joking." Jared said huskily, eyeing my black laced panties. They covered nearly nothing, and the bra matched, not to mention it was a push up, only adding to my DD situation. I bit my lip and looked up at him innocently as he shook his head, his heart beating faster underneath my palm on his chest.

He swept me up, and I was thrown against the soft, golden comforter in what seemed like seconds. Jared towered over me, eyes raking my body hungrily before he leaned against the bed, trailing kisses along my abdomen.

"Show me," he whispered somewhat sheepishly, looking up at me from the sweep of dark brown hair that covered his forehead. "Show me where you want me to go." I gave a quick but subtle head nod, signaling for him to take off my underwear, which he did obediently, slowly and sweetly. He leaned back down to brush his lips against my core, earning a moan that flew past my lips quicker than I could stop it. His quick, warm tongue was working its way around my inner thighs, teasing me to a point that I couldn't handle. I grabbed his jaw and pulled his lips up to mine, lacing my free fingers through his hair as he gripped the sheets next to me. I wrapped my legs around his waist again, anchoring him to me once more.

"Go." I commanded sweetly as his length brushed against me. He lowered himself into me, and I was biting my lip to keep from moaning in my ear.

"Don't." he scolded, kissing my lips open. "Let me hear you."

Dear Lord was this boy killing me. I gave in, parting my lips whenever my body felt it was necessary, tightening around him as he moved in an out at the most magnificent pace imaginable. I gripped onto his broad shoulder with my left hand, keeping the other in his soft dark hair, his breathe washing over my ear as our cheeks brushed.

"Jared!" I moaned, unable to get it all the way out.

"Turn over." He commanded huskily. He helped me do so, as I was physically unable to do it quickly enough, and as he entered again I gripped his forearms as he gripped the sheets next to my face, partially to keep myself from being thrown into the headboard and partially to dig my nails into his beautiful skin. For some reason I wanted him to hurt, but not in the sense that he'd actually be in pain, just a little sting to turn him on. I was somewhat unsure that this bed was able to contain us, let alone the rest of this godforsaken house. Jared nudged my head to the side with his cheek so he could kiss and lick at the nook of my neck, burying his face in my skin and inhaling as he continued moving in and out, sometimes nipping at my ear.

"I wanna see you again." He whispered.

"You miss my boobs?" I teased, already somewhat tired and breathing heavily.

"I miss your face." Jared laughed, rolling me back over. He pulled me up from the bed effortlessly and gripped my back side as I wrapped my arms around his waist once again. I used my elbows on his shoulders to get a higher position on his torso, brushing my lips against his.

His taste was addicting, like his heat, like his skin, like his scent, like _our _scent as it began filling the room. He was being sweet now, more gentle, focusing more on letting me feel him than moving quickly. Jared was moving in long, drawn-out but rhythmic strides, our heavy breathing keeping a steady pace. He looked me dead in the eye, prompting me to become warmer, and somewhat self-concious.

"I love you." He whispered softly, never stopping his motions. I wanted to cry.

"I love you too." I murmured, the tears sliding down my face. I wiped them away hurriedly, laughing momentarily at my own idiocy, the heat washing over me again as Jared started picking up the pace. He turned and laid down against the bed, keeping his grip on my backside.

"You promise?" he asked, halting our kiss again. I looked him in the eye.

"Of course I do."

"Show me." He teased, raising an eyebrow at me. I sat up on his length, taking all of it in, inch by inch. Jared could feel me tighten around him as I dug my fingers into his abdomen.

"You want me to show you?" I teased back, lifting myself up and dropping on his member again. Jared reacted immediately, tightening his grip on me and making my favorite face. I did again, Jared biting his lip. I was going to ruin him.

In seconds I had a steady pace that was driving Jared mad, his breathing heavier than it was before as now I was able to take ALL of him in, no restrictions. He was about to break, he was about to cave in, his body reaching its high point when he flipped us over out of nowhere, pinning my wrists above my head. He was drilling me now, no mercy involved, his lips hard and passionate against my own as the black iron frame of the bed began to tremble more violent than it had earlier.

"Jared!" I cried, unable to contain myself. I was unable to move, unable to claw at him which only made me hornier. He was killing me, showing me just who wore the pants in this relationship and I was loving it with such loathing that I couldn't keep it together anymore. My toes curled and I became rigid underneath him as heat flooded my being, Jared reaching his own cloud as he fought not to collapse on top of me, everything in our bodies exhausted. He kept my hands above my head, barely brushing his lips against mine, his heavy breathing shadowing my own. He slowly released his grip on my hands, though I dared not try to move them again, and moved his hands to my face, holding it softly in place as his kiss became slightly more aggressive.

"I most definitely think this house knows who owns it now." I whispered, earning a smile from my love.

* * *

><p><strong>*Authors Note*<strong>

**Hey guys! I love all the support I've been getting lately! These reviews are beyond sweet, and I'm encouraged to write more every time I get a new one! This chapter was very sweet, I had fun writing it ;) If you'd like to see what Jared's new place looks like, go to stantonhomes/images/brogan**

**(You have to type in the http bit and www. by yourself because it wont let me post the link :[ sorry!**


	15. This Day Sucks Balls

"You want me to let you move in with Jared Thail."

"Are you kidding? Jordyn's getting her own place in a week! Technically I'd just be-"

"Hell no. Hell. No. Kimberly Conweller how could you even ask me such a-"

"Mom you and I both know what's going on so we might as well let it happen now."

"Kim! Don't talk like that, you know just how-"

"Look we can make this easy or tough okay? I'm gonna wind up with him anyway. I don't see the big deal."

"The big deal? The big deal? Kim, how can I be sure this boy will even take care of you? That he can even take care of himself?"

"His Dad left him 634,00 dollars. And a house. I think we'll be alright until we're out of high school."

Mom couldn't exactly argue with that one. She shook her head furiously, her eyes darting between everyone in the room. Sam, Emily, even Sue Clearwater and Quil Sr. had come to try and convince her to let me do this. This wasn't about a teenage crush, hell, this wasn't even about Jared and I for the most part- me leaving was the safest thing I could possibly do for Jordyn and Mom. The both of them were beyond safe with me out.

"Mom it's 17 miles away, I'm still going to the same school, I'll still be home for dinner almost every night, I'll still see you on the weekends-"

"You barely see us on weekends NOW!"

"Mom could you just-"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN!"

"GOD DAMMIT, WE COULD EITHER DO THIS NOW OR WE COULD PRETEND THAT YOU DON'T KNOW I'M SNEAKING OUT THE BEDROOM WINDOW EVERY NIGHT."

"Kim you're 16, you're too young, this is wrong, it's all wrong! You believe that boy will stick with you for the rest of your life? You think the second you start having sex that it'll only be about your love for each other?"

"Guess we got half of that out of the way already."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. We already had sex."

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN A VIRGIN ANYMORE?"

"NOT EVEN? AS IF THAT COULD SAVE MY SOUL OR SOMETHING? SHOVE IT! YOU'RE SUCH A HYPOCRITE, YOU DIDN'T SAY TWO WORDS WHEN JORDYN TOLD YOU ABOUT HER LAST WEEK."

"JORDYN'S A DIFFERENT CASE, SHE'S OLDER!"

"SHE'S 18, IT'S TWO YEARS AND I TURN 17 IN A MONTH."

"If you plan on leaving you might as well not come back."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

The room got dead silent. The argument had been going on for hours and there was no getting through to her. I understood completely why she didn't want me to go. If my 16 year old wanted to run off with a boy she'd claimed to be in love with for four months, I'd kill her. But this was different, and Jared _would _be able to keep me safe. I was going to wind up living there anyway, whether it was in two years or two days.

"You don't think it's moving too fast?" Mom said softly, tears pouring down her face. Fuck. I couldn't stand it when she cried. It killed me. Literally killed me, as in I immediately started crying too.

"Mom I'm not leaving you alone."

"You are!" she cried. The others hustled out of the room quickly, knowing that now was not the time for an audience.

"I'm not. It'll be two years or two days, Mom." I murmured, quoting myself. She shook her head.

"I'm not ready to give you up." She stated. I bit my lip. This wasn't a necessity, and I knew it. This was something that could be put on hold if necessary, so there was no reason to be this upset over it if it was going to cause everyone this much pain.

"I feel like a kid in the middle of a divorce." I huffed, throwing my face in my hands. Mom furrowed her brow, then an idea struck her face as she gave me a look and wiped away her tears, leaning on the counter.

"I have an idea." She sniffed, regaining her composure. "Because of what you said. Jared! Get in here!"

Jared waltzed in in seconds, as if he was waiting by the door.

"Two people in this room are fighting over time with the other. I am her mother, and therefore I deserve every right to keep her here. Although you're her….everything else," I liked her choice of words. "And you deserve every right to take her around the world, should you feel it's what's safest." She paused, running her hand over her face again. "I know something's been going on lately with the wolves. They're stories, legends, or maybe they aren't, but either way you can keep her safe. From anything. So we're going to split Kim's time in half."

"Half?"

"Every other week. She'll stay with you first, to SEE how things work out. Now I'm warning the both of you-no drugs, no alcohol, and I swear if you get my daughter pregnant before you put a ring on it I'll kill you. If your grades slip in the SLIGHTEST bit, so help me God Kim, not only will I drag you back to this house by your ankles, I will burn the other one down."

I threw my arms around her neck, pulling her as closely as I could and burying my face in her hair.

"Mom thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you-"

"You're welcome, Kim. Just don't forget you have a family here too, alright?"

"Mommy I love you, I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you-"

"I love you too Kimbo."

Everyone screeched with joy when I left the kitchen with my thumbs raised high, a smile plastered across my face. Jared kissed me on the cheek and so did Emily while we all crowded around Mom and smothered her in love.

"Dinner!" Emily cried. "We have to go to dinner, celebrations are necessary!" she winked at me. Oh boy. Jared shot me a confused look but I assured I'd tell him later as we started on our walk home.

"I'm surprised she even agreed to let me within four feet of you after I told her about the naughty things."

"The naughty things?" Jared laughed, locking his fingers in mine. I nodded confidently. "What would've happened if she said no?"

"I told her what would've happened, the window would've become our best friend again."

"You're too willing to get into trouble for me."

"You wouldn't do the same?"

"I'd blow up a country if it was what was separating us." He smirked, winking at me. "Though I have a feeling you were a hot-head even before you met me." He smiled. I pretended to be hurt.

"What makes you think that?"

"In the 7th grade they caught you and Katie scaling the side of the school building."

"Billy Kleffner also convince us there was a stray cat stranded up there."

"You liar, you went up because you thought you saw an alien."

"You DID TAKE MY FUZZY PINK JOURNAL." Jared's burst out into nervous laughter as he was caught in a lie told years ago. "It's not funny! I was looking for that thing for weeks!" I cried.

"I didn't know I had beautiful eyes." He teased further. I attacked him, swatting here and there before he finally lifted me off my feet and threw me over his shoulder.

"I hate you." I pouted, leaning my face against his back my hair swinging back and forth against the back of his legs. It'd gotten longer.

"You love me." He corrected, continuing through the woods.

"Are you happy?" I asked curiously. I automatically pictured Jared furrowing his brow.

"Of course I'm happy. What are you talking about?"

"It's weird," I shrugged. "This is a day-to-day thing for me, you're part of my story, part of my life, but I can't help but wonder where you'd be if you weren't in this situation with me."

"I'd be walking to MY house, ALONE, days after going to my Mom's funeral that I'd be dealing with ALONE, only to return to a Pack to have nothing to think about but being ALONE."

"So I'm a space filler, eh?" I teased.

"You're perfect, that's what you are."

"I feel like you're in my corner in this ring ya know? Like you're on my team."

"I'm always on your team."

"I wonder if this is what it's like to be married."

"I figure. I'd consider us up there already anyway, the only thing left is a-"

"Baby." I sighed.

"I know, I know, it freaks you out. I'd never get you pregnant on purpose Kim, not unless you were ready and I knew for a fact you were. I'm just excited, that's all. We have the whole world to look forward to, meeting you and falling in love was only a small portion of it."

"It's like a story book." I smiled.

"It's our story book." Jared agreed.

"I'm comfortable here. With you, I mean, for the rest of my life."

"Glad to hear it." Jared laughed.

"What?"

"You make it sound like if you'd said no the first time, I wouldn't have come after you anyway. All I was going to do was bother you until you agreed to spend the rest of your life with me." He shrugged, causing me to bob up and down.

"What? You would've stalked me forever."

"I mean you'd already done it for a good 13 years, I figured it was time to switch roles." I slapped his butt and rolled my eyes as he laughed loudly. "Nah, but I couldn't stand the idea of you being with some chump who wasn't me, let alone one who couldn't protect you like I can."

"You have a lot of faith in yourself, Jared Thail."

"Only because you do. I feel like you're sort of my backbone."

"Your backbone?"

"Yeah. I can be as tough as I want to, but at the end of the day you're the one that keeps me strong." He said sweetly. I smiled at the idea as he trudged up the porch steps, setting me lightly on my feet in the living room. I plopped down on the couch and kicked off my boots as he threw his shirt on the coffee table and disappeared into the kitchen.

I flipped through the channels aimlessly before he came back into the room. The remote hit the floor with a loud thud, along with my jaw.

"Watcha lookin at?" Jared asked innocently, the whip cream starting to melt off his nipples as he stood at the doorway in his Calvin Klein boxers. He sprayed a bit of whip cream into his mouth and licked it off in mock seduction. I was rolling on the ground laughing so hard. There was a six pack coming on for sure, my voice echoing off the walls as Jared pretended to be deeply offended by my laughter. He threw down the can of whip cream and put on a feminine air as he strutted across the room and perched on the end of the couch, crossing his legs like a woman and sticking his nose in the air.

"I do EVERYTHING I can to impress you, and you never notice me!" Jared cried in a womanly voice, pretending to cry. My stomach was in ridiculous pain, I was going to catch a sore throat at this rate.

"I'M NOT KIDDING!" Jared cried, still acting like a chick. "OMG, I can't take this anymore." He started to storm out of the room when I caught him by the arm.

"No, NO!" I said between giggles. "I'm sorry. I am sorryyyyy." I started catching my breath while Jared put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow at me. "And we do not act like that."

"Oh yes you girls do." He said, back to his usual Jared voice. He started licking the whip cream off of his fingers.

"Whatever, you're a mess."

"I'm entertaining. We need SOMETHING to pass the time." He shrugged. I walked across the room and picked the whip cream can off the floor, sticking it in my mouth and spraying some of the treat into my mouth, swallowing happily. Jared rolled his eyes at me.

"I can think of something…" I smiled mischievously, slipping out of my clothes until I was standing in nothing but a bright blue matching set of underwear and bra. Jared smirked at me as I sprayed a giant X across my chest in whip cream, throwing the can behind me as Jared came for the kill.

We were extremely careful not to break this house like we had Sam and Emily's, which was probably ignorant seeing as we nearly destroyed theirs. Everyone at their house could practically smell the sex on us, which only added to the suspicion. No matter how many outfits we tried on, the red flush hadn't disappeared from our cheeks, and I only had so much time to fix my hair up before we had to leave.

"We lost track of time." I smiled sheepishly as Emily raised her eyebrows at me. Sam rolled his eyes and swatted Jared at the back of the head as he laughed nervously.

Nearly all of La Push had gathered to Sam and Emily's cozy home, the noise attacked my ears the second we'd opened the door. I found Mom immediately and spent the majority of my time hugging and loving on her, overdoing it until finally she caved and begged for me to leave her alone. We exchanged smiles as I waded through the crowd of people, searching for Jared. A small hand caught my shoulder. Katie turned me around and smiled at me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" She cried, jumping up and down.

"I know!" I frowned, mock punching her.

"So I heard your Mom's letting you stay with Jared?"

"Christ, word spreads fast." I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Sort of, it's complicated," I laughed. "But do your best not to tell, alright? I've heard enough about it from my Mom herself." Katie smiled and nodded sweetly, disappearing with Brady once more.

I leaned against the wall, wondering how Time had managed to change my world so easily. In four months, I'd gone from the loud, rebellious, best friend of Katie Matlin who was always caught doing something wacky or arguing with her crazy Mother and gorgeous older sister, to Kim Thail-the loud, rebellious, acquaintance of Katie Matlin who spent most of her nights sneaking out of the house to flee wild leeches in the forest with her werewolf boyfriend. I'd done everything from nearly destroying a house, to riding a 7 foot beast through the woods. I'd gotten more injuries in the past few weeks than I had my entire life, and how I was running on so little sleep confounded me. This was who I was now, involuntarily, Kim Conweller had been completely diminished and reshaped. I was new, fresh, and if I'd ever been forced to go back to my old life it would've devastated me. I needed it, needed this oddity, this unnatural life with impossible elements or else I'd be a ticking time bomb about to explode. I craved it, as if it was the very air I breathed.

"Dinner." Jared smiled at me. I looked up at him and grinned at his childlike face, taking the hand he extended to me and following him into the dining room. It was amazing that all of us even fit. Sam, Emily, Quil Sr., Sue Clearwater, Emma Blackstone, Billy Black, Vanessa Young, Darleen Evans, Harlen Masters, Brady, Katie, Jordyn, Lucas Stevenson, Helen Purser, Karen Ladderstone, Terry Mathews and their spouses or significant others crowded around the dining table, the rest of us had pulled a chair from another room and lined ourselves against the walls and corners, large bowls of food being passed from person to person, lots of chatter and smiles being thrown across the room. Jared sat me on his lap and I started in on my plate, eating all I could after the hours of exercise I'd gotten in the past hours. Sam threw a grape at me and I smiled sheepishly. Emily shot me a nervous smile before tapping her fork against her glass, bringing the chatter to a silence. Everyone stared at Emily and I nudged Jared, smiling at him.

"I have an announcement," she beamed, practically glowing. She gripped Sam's hand and stared down at him. "Love, I know that the wedding is only a few months away…but…we might have to plan a little sooner." Sam shot her a confused look, worry starting to seep into his expression when Emily dropped the bomb. "I'M PREGNANT!" Sam's jaw hit the floor as several people exploded out of their seats and cheered loudly, Jared and I screaming happily in our seat. Sam was eventually screaming too, laughing, crying almost as he picked Emily off of her feet and pulled her so close I was sure he'd snap her in half.

"You're pregnant, you're pregnant!" he cried, laughing with her.

"So am I."

The room got dead silent in a matter of seconds. Jared and I became rigid in sync, every muscle in the room had tensed. I didn't need to ask where the voice had come from, because I'd grown up listening to it on a regular basis, could recognize it in a room full of loud ass excited people-and that was the problem. I would've _rather _had no idea who it was, would've rather been completely and utterly clueless, would've rather had to have someone explain to me who I was staring at, rather than know the face the voice belonged to by heart.


	16. Everyone Was Being A Traitor

Everybody's eyes were on the tall blonde standing in the room. Emily's jaw had hit the table so hard I swore all the food would topple to the floor. I had covered my mouth, the silent tears coming violently and involuntarily. Jared hadn't moved from underneath me. Mom wasn't moving either.

My eyes flickered between her and the culprit, watching in amazement as her expression changed from horror, to fury, to horror again, to more fury, to sadness, to horror, to disbelief, to horror once more. I finally willed myself to move, slowly, but it was progress for sure. Standing, I stared at the girl in front of us all, one who stood like a martyr, like an innocent in the center of a witch trial, knowing she was about to be slaughtered but giving herself up anyway.

"Jordyn?" I whispered hoarsely, her name barely escaping my lips.

She turned to me, a blonde wave falling over her shoulder as water built in her hazel eyes. She nodded her head softly. It hit me like a wrecking ball, like someone had just told me a relative had died. My hand went to my stomach, as if I was trying to keep myself from puking all over our fabulous little dinner party. Lucas was staring at her in disbelief, confusion written all over his face.

"Jordyn…" he murmured. "You couldn't have told me before this? Before announcing it?"

"I didn't know how I was going to tell you!"

"Didn't know how you were going to tell ME? Jordyn this is OUR baby, it should've been that WE didn't know how to tell THEM!"

"Babies." Jordyn corrected painfully. "There's two."

I was still shaking my head, Jared rubbing my arms in an attempt to comfort me. Jordyn was crying hard now, almost fighting to keep herself from sobbing. Sue Clearwater had started crying as well, along with almost every other woman in the room.

"My baby." Someone shreiked softly. It was the first time Mom had spoken in the past five minutes. She had buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. "My poor baby!" Jordyn was shaking her head in shame, staring down at her own fingers now. "We have to get rid of it." She stated, shaking her head and wiping her face furiously.

"No." Jordyn and I shot at the same time. Mom stared at us both, Jordyn in disbelief and me in fury.

"You can't have it!" she cried. "You're 18 years old, you're graduating in 3 months!"

"And she'll be a mom in 9." I said firmly. I walked to my sister, taking her hand and standing my ground with her. Lucas stood from his seat, taking her other.

"Kimberly Conweller you barely know what's good for you, let alone someone else in this situation."

"You had me when you were 20." Jordyn said.

"I also had your father at my side, Jordyn Marie."

"And we all know how that worked out." I seethed. An air of remorse washed over the room. No one was ever supposed to speak about my Dad, no one thought I'd even whisper about it in solitude, let alone publically.

"Don't you dare speak negatively about your father."

"I'd hoped you'd hold the same rule for Jordyn." I countered. Mom was furious. Hateful now.

"Where do you expect to live, hmm? Who do you expect to take care of you?"

"I will." Lucas said firmly. "It's my child and I have no intention of leaving it."

"You're just a boy." Mom scoffed, her face twisted in disgust.

"And now I'm a father."

"YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT BEING A FATHER!"

"What exactly do you mean by that, Miss Conweller?" Mr. Stevenson challenged, rising from his seat. We all stared at Lucas' father, and air of hatred filling the room.

"I mean that your son has no inkling of what it's like to raise a child." Mom hissed.

"I believe in them." Sue Clearwater nodded confidently.

"You believe in everyone Sue, and by God that's a fine quality but it won't take care of these children."

"Children?"

"THAT'S ALL YOU ARE!"

"I agree with your mother, Jordyn. You're far too young to have a child." Mrs. Thompson added.

"No one asked what you agreed with," I hissed. "And that goes for anyone who has something negative to say about my sister after today."

"Your sister's made a huge mistake!"

"Then we're ALL huge mistakes because I know for a fact half the people in this room were born out of wedlock. And what about Emily, huh? TEN minutes ago, EVERYONE was ecstatic about having another child added to La Push, but GOD FORBID it be my sister's."

"Emily's a GROWN WOMAN!"

"EMILY'S 19!"

"ONE YEAR MAKES IT BETTER?"

"OBVIOUSLY IT MAKES A FINE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE YOU WERE MORE THAN HAPPY FOR HER!"

"SHE. IS NOT. MINE."

"WHICH SHOULD ONLY STRENGHTEN YOUR SUPPORT!"

Jared and Sam nearly had to pull Mom and I apart, I'd nearly crawled across the table trying to pounce her.

"You don't know what you're doing, my Love! It will ruin your life!"

"Or it could start it, Momma. Look at me," Jordyn murmured sweetly, taking Mom's hand and kneeling in front of her. She placed Mom's hand on her stomach. "Do it for your grandbaby. Understand. Try to."

"When you first found out you had Jordyn, did you ever once think of getting rid of her?" I asked, my tone softening. Mom shook her head furiously in response. "And what about me? When you found out you'd have two troublemakers instead of one, did you ever consider lightening your load?"

"Of course I didn't."

"Then don't expect our baby to do the same." I pleaded. "Don't expect her to get rid of someone else to love."

Mom wrapped her arms around Jordyn and pulled her close to her, the both of them sobbing furiously. I rubbed Lucas on the shoulder as the rest of the women in the room surrounded Jordyn and my Mom, all of them chirping through sobs about how they'd do anything to help.

"Money, Clothes, Food, you name it and we got it baby girl." Sue whispered, kissing the side of Jordyn's face.

"We can do it together!" Emily beamed, wiping her face of tears. Everyone laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension. "We can plan the baby showers, and OOO they'll have their first playmate, and-"

"Dear God, here we go." Sam muttered, shaking his head. Everyone laughed again as he and Lucas exchanged exasperated looks.

"You ready for this?" Jared asked, slapping Lucas on the back.

"Not at all." Lucas laughed darkly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Jared laughed and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"It's gonna be one hell of a ride, kid. Just be good to my sister and we won't have a problem."

I stared at Jared incredulously at his reference to Jordyn as his sister. His words about us practically already being married echoed in my head. Jared was, without a doubt, part of my family now, and we didn't need a ring to prove it.

"Nervous?" he asked, staring at me. I took a deep breath and laughed lightly, nodding.

"Hell yes," I admitted. "But I knew Mom would cave eventually. They'll have a hard time, no doubt, but it'll be worth it."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"For reminding you about the baby all the time. Of course I'm excited, and I know it freaks you out, but after that little showdown I think I understand why a lot more now."

"I promise you someday, Jared."

"Or never, if it makes you too uncomfortable. We never have to talk about it, not unless you want to. I just wanted you to know that it's up to you and I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You changed the way I look at it after all. I always figured having kids meant all the fun stuff was over, that my story was ending and now someone else got to start theirs while I stood in the background, but it's so much more than that. It's about adding a new chapter, just like I added you, just like we're adding the new babies."

"I love you." Jared smiled, wiping a tear away from my cheek. He kissed me on the forehead, his hot lips leaving me aching for him.

Sam called a halt to the chatter, everyone growing silent as the Alpha tone rang through the room. All the wolf boys bustled out into the hallway immediately, leaving the rest of us in a state of confusion. I could feel the anger starting to boil in the pit of my stomach like it did every time Sam called the boys away. It was like we were left in the dark, like _I _was left in the dark, and since when did that even become an option? I'd scaled houses, roofs, fled through the trees countless times, gotten Lord knows how many injuries for these boys, and they still had the right to keep their secrets? It was bothersome, made me more angry than ever.

Emily was starting to feel it too, I saw it written all over her face as her soon-to-be husband and his band of brothers left her in all of her baby glory _alone_, and it was if I could read her thoughts, like I could physically hear her wondering if it was going to be like this for the rest of their lives, if while she stayed awake with the baby at 4 in the morning, he'd still be off patrolling the forest. We exchanged looks, and as we did something flashed in her eyes. I knew exactly what she wanted to do.

We tiptoed along the hall, trying our best not to be heard. We'd managed to leave the room without anyone noticing our departure, and now all we could do was pray that the boys wouldn't hear us coming. They were huddled together in Sam's room, all chattering quietly about a battle plan and the Cullen's. What did the Cullen's have to do with our boys, and why were they always talking about them lately? It was more than annoying, it was vile, really and at times I could feel myself growing agitated at the very sound of their name.

"They've got an entire army coming in," Jacob growled. "It's not just a threat to them, it's a threat to La Push as well."

"Jake's right, we have to do something about them. Who knows what could happen if one of the residents was out hiking or something." Embry piped up.

"And what happens if they win without us there, Sam? What if they decide to attack the town next? Who knows how many people could get hurt."

"We'll have the element of surprise," Paul said excitedly. "Come on, Sam, there's no way we can lose, we're faster than these things on their best days. We've been dying for a good fight, this is the most action we've gotten in weeks!"

Emily shook her head and tried to stifle a laugh-that was just like Paul, jumping at the first chance to slaughter something.

"What am I gonna tell Kim?" Jared's voice broke my heart. What _was_ he going to tell me? How was he going to expect me to be okay with him fighting a rogue army of vampires, especially without my help? I knew I wasn't strong enough to help, or fast enough even, but the fact that my boyfriend had decided to disappear and take on more leeches than we'd faced in the past four months combined was absurd.

"There's eight of us, you guys. Eight. That plus the Cullen's makes an army of 16 against an army of over 30. You really think we can take them all on alive?"

"Alive?" I blurted out, Emily's hand coming over my mouth the second it slipped out. I threw my hand on top of hers, hoping somehow it would retract the noise, but it was too late. The door swung open, Sam staring at Emily and I as we sat huddled on the floor.

We gave him sheepish smiles, and he looked somewhat sad, Jared looking apologetic in the background. Sam heaved us to our feet at the same time and leaned against the doorframe.

"What do you mean alive, Sam?" I asked quietly without hesitation.

"You were snooping on us?"

"You're planning on taking an army of leeches?"

"This is Pack business-"

"This is family business." I countered firmly. "Sam we're just as much a part of this as we are."

"Listen, I can't have either of you stressed right now,"

"How long did you know?" I asked, now firing at Jared. I brushed underneath Sam's arm before he had time to grab me and stood face to face with my wolf, my glare nearly shrinking him down to my size.

"A while." He murmured.

"How long, Jared?"

"A month."

"A MONTH?" I yelled. "YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH?"

"And that my friends, is my que to go." Paul murmured, swinging out the window.

"Kim, I didn't-"

"You didn't what? You didn't know how to tell me?"

"Exactly, I didn't-"

"Or did you just not plan on telling me at all?"

"….."

"YOU DIDN'T PLAN ON TELLING ME AT ALL?"

In the background, Sam and Em were having their own argument, poor Seth caught in the middle as he'd tried to wiggle his way out of the door.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO JUST NOW DECIDED TO TELL ME ABOUT THE BABY!"

"OH DON'T YOU DARE TURN THIS ON ME!" Emily shrieked, beating at him with her tiny fists.

"Emily, EMILY!"

"I'm not finished!" I yelled as Jared tried to flee.

"What the hell do you want me to say, Kim? It's not my choice, I can't do anything about it!"

"You can say NO!"

"He can't," Sam corrected. "Alpha's orders."

"You son of a bitch!" Emily screamed. "HOW THE HELL CAN YOU DO THIS TO US, SAM? WE HAVE A _CHILD _ON THE WAY, DON'T YOU THINK I'M GONNA NEED SOME HELP?"

"Emily, EMILY, EMILY?"

"SAYING MY NAME OVER AND OVER IS NOT GOING TO MAKE ME SHUTUP, SAM. YOU'RE PUTTING THESE BOYS IN DANGER AND YOU KNOW IT."

"I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!"

"YOU HAVE EVERY CHOICE IN THE WORLD! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL HIM WHEN HE ASKS WHY HE DOESN'T HAVE A FATHER, HUH?"

"EMILY I'M COMING BACK!"

"DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU I WASN'T FINISHED!" I yelled, swatting at Jared as he tried to leave again. He caught my hand and threw me over his shoulder as I started thrashing in his grip, kicking and beating at him as fiercely as I could. Emily was screeching at him to put me down, struggling against her own boyfriend's home.

"Jared, take her home."

"No!" I yelled, wrenching free of Jared's hold and marching down the stairs. I shoved through the crowd of people, Jared yelling after me. There were only a few people left in the house. Mom, Jordyn and Lucas had gone to tell Lucas' grandparents, Quil Sr. had taken Quil home, Everyone and their partner seemed to have disappeared, the few that were left made the right choice in moving out of my way.

"I can't believe you!" I screamed again, whirling around to face an angry Jared.

"What did you expect me to do, Kim? I don't know what the hell you want from me!"

"I WANT YOU TO THINK SENSIBLEY! ALL THIS TALK ABOUT KIDS AND MARRYING ME AND ALL THIS BULLSHIT IS-"

"YOU THINK IT'S BULLSHIT?"

"I KNOW IT IS, THERE'S NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR YOU RUNNING INTO THE FOREST AND TAKING ON SOME VAMPI-"

"OH DON'T YOU DARE START TALKING ABOUT RUNNING OFF INTO THE FOREST, YOU'RE AS STUPID AS ANYONE ELSE WHEN IT COMES TO SHIT LIKE THAT-"

"SO NOW I'M STUPID. SO NOWWWWWW I'M FUCKING STUPID."

Emily came rushing past me, clothes in hand as Sam followed closely behind like a lost puppy shaking his head and pleading for her to stop.

"Sam if you didn't want the baby you should've told me, you should've talked to me about it and instead you-"

"I DO WANT THIS BABY, Em, it's all I've been thinking about since the first night you said you'd thought about having one! For Christ's sake we have a JOB to protect the tribe!"

"A JOB!" Jared chimed in.

"Don't you dare." I hissed, glaring at him.

"Kim, I'm begging you to understand me."

"And I'm begging you to stay!" I cried. "Stay for me, Jared! Please!"

"Sam, I can't do it-"

"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE."

"THEN GIVE US ONE." Jared screamed, his entire body shaking. People were filtering out of the house now, too afraid to stay and watch the fireworks go off.

"Sam!" I cried.

"Kim, Jared, I love both of you and I would kill to stay here, but we don't have that option so all we can do is kill to _come back._"

"Sam don't go!" I cried again. He looked shocked, a little confused.

"What?"

"You think this is just about Jared? It's about you too! It's because I love you too, because I love all of you! Don't make them go!" Emily and I were both in tears and Sam and Jared looked shocked and then highly appreciative.

"Yes, I said it!" I yelled again. "It's all of you I love, okay? All of you. I have never had such a comfortable position in my entire life and you guys are going to make me live without it? Let me taste it and then rip it away?"

"Kim, kim…" Sam murmured, pulling me into his chest as I sobbed.

"No!"

"I know, Kimmy. I know." We were one big heap of tears and No's and screaming and sobbing and no one wanted anyone to leave but everyone had to go anyway because that was what's best for the tribe.

After an hour of Sam trying to murmur reassurance into my ear, an hour of Emily wailing about what she was going to do with the baby, and an hour of exchanging glares with Jared, I finally shoved away as Sam carried an exhausted Emily up to bed. I locked the guest room door behind me, and after Jared finally quit talking outside the door I was able to get whatever sleep I could. At some point in the middle of the night, I'd gotten up to see if he'd really left, opened the door, and found him sleeping right outside as if he were some sort of lost puppy. Loathingly, I shut it behind me again, refusing to cave.

Who was he to leave me here all alone? That's exactly what he was doing. Leaving me alone. Choosing the tribe over me, meshing the two together as if one was even nearly as significant as the other. I wanted to disappear, wanted to go back in time and reverse all of this. Whoever had said it was better to have loved and lost to have never loved at all was obviously a fucking idiot, because I would've rather never gotten a taste of what it was like to actually belong somewhere than to have gotten a little and have it ripped from underneath my feet.


	17. Fighting Over Names At a Wedding

Katie and I were flying through the halls, shoving through the crowd of people as we went. There was a horde following us, the farther we went, the more people followed suit, wanting to get in on the action. I was sprinting harder than I had in the forest at times, all sense evading me, all teachers that tried to stop us were either trampled or smart enough to eventually smart enough to move out of the way. When Des Hamilton told me that Jordyn and her friends were currently taking on Victoria Purser and her band of hyenas, there was no hesitation. I nearly toppled over the lunch table and several students on my way out the door. People were cheering us on as we ran, some booing, some just following.

I shoved through the circle of people, tackling Victoria the second I saw her. The bitch's hands were tangled in Jordyn's hair, bringing her down with us. I ripped her fingers away from my sister's hair, doing whatever I could to get on top of her. Katie was playing tug of war with two other girls and all of their hair, Jordyn clawing at a teacher who'd tried to break the fight apart.

My fist came down hard on Vicky's nose, the sound more than satisfying. I kept going, hit after hit, picturing my soon-to-be niece and or nephew screeching in my sister's abdomen out of pain. I was tackled, another girl ripping me away from Vicky and her blood-splattered face. A fist connected to my jaw, and we were wrestling, both of us struggling for the upper hand in the fight. I pulled my leg around the girls head, shoving her to the ground and rolling so that I was on top of her as she laid face first on the floor. She clawed at my arms as I held her face to the carpet before I got up and gave her one last kick to the ribs, moving to Katie and her mass of tangled curls and fingers.

Yanking her by the belt, I ripped one girl away from the mess, praying to God that a patch of Katie's hair didn't come with her. She was easy to take down, at least four times smaller than me, and she sank to her knees swiftly as I pulled her arms behind her back to restrain her. I screamed as another girl laced her claws in my chocolate strands, keeping one foot on the first girl's back to hold her down while scratching at the other. Eventually I got a strong enough hold on the girl's arms to swing her around to my front so I could shove her to the ground and start my attack on her face.

Within minutes of the fight starting, I was ripped away from my mount on the ugly girl, Jared's arms ridiculously constricting as he and the other La Push boys, with help from the football team, tore the fight apart.

Boy, did we do a number on those bitches.

Half of them were bleeding horribly, their clothes matted with red. Jordyn's jaw was already bruising, her lip oozing red as she clutched her rib desperately, the both of us silently praying the baby was alright. Katie was trying to untangle her hair furiously in Jacob's arms. Everyone around us was laughing or cheering or swatting at Victoria and her pack as they called Jordyn every name in the book.

"Are you okay?" Jared asked as I wrenched away from his hold. What a tool. Whenever we were around each other, we did our best to be indifferent, but the second something actually went wrong, we were both playing sucker again. It didn't matter if we wanted to make up, it was about who was going to make up _first, _and Lord knows it wasn't gonna be me.

I slumped against my seat in the principal's office as Mom and a few others squawked at each other in the hallway over whose fault it was that the fight started. Quite frankly, I didn't give two fucks either way. There could've been a hundred girls fighting Jordyn, and I still would've jumped in to get my ass kicked WITH her. After countless hours of reminiscing, we were sentenced to a week's worth of suspension.

"Emily's wedding is in a few weeks anyways, I need to help her plan." I grumbled to Jordyn as Mom sped off to work. As her own little form of punishment, we were walking home in the rain.

"I owe you one." Jordyn smiled weakly as we trudged through the water. I shook my head furiously.

"Not a chance." I countered, handing her a hair tie and throwing my own wet strands into a sloppy bun. "I'd do it for you and you'd do it for me. It's what sisters are for." I smiled, nudging her. She put her hair up and shook herself nearly dry, laughing as people driving by looked at her awkwardly.

"It's a lot better than I thought it'd be at least."

"You thought it was gonna be worse than this?" I exclaimed, nearly tripping over a hitch in the sidewalk. Jordyn caught me and laughed again like a little kid.

"Most definitely."

It'd taken a day and a half for everyone in La Push to find out Jordyn was pregnant, and after what people were telling me, all of Forks knew as well. After only two weeks, Jordyn had gone from one of the most sought-out girls in our town, to one that was lucky to have friends outside of Katie and I. No matter what people had said however, she was always smiling. Not once did I see Jordyn shed a tear over the loss of one of her so called "friends" and as soon as people took notice to that, they began looking past her situation.

"I wish I was more like you." I admitted, stretching in the rain, my clothes nearly soaked all the way through.

"Like me?" Jordyn furrowed her eyebrows as if she was completely confused, as if she literally had no idea why I'd want to be like her.

"S'what I said." I smiled.

"Why the hell would you want that?"

"I mean yeah, you've messed up a bit, but that's exactly my point-you don't even seem to notice, like it hasn't phased you at all. This whole baby thing hasn't changed you one bit. I half expected you to become some sort of depressed recluse or something, like you'd completely die without your horde of followers trailing behind you in the hall. All my life I've been 'Jordyn's Little Sister' and I've never really been able to get passed that so I've never really just watched you. All you do is laugh and have a good time, no matter what your circumstances were."

"So you basically thought I was a shallow bitch up until the past week." Jordyn teased, nudging me. We laughed loudly, barely able to walk in a straight line.

"Yes, most def. No, I just figured you were a lot more focused on who loved you instead of who you loved, so I'm sorry in advance. Plus, you're one of the best big sister's I've ever come across, and that's a fine ass quality too."

"_One _of the best?" she teased again.

"You're ridiculous."

"And _you're _giving me a piggyback ride home, because my ankles hurt."

"WHAT?"

"I'm pregnant." She pouted. I shook my head furiously.

"Nu uh, nu uh there is no way you get to play that card already, you've only had that thing two weeks!" I protested as she climbed onto my back. I rolled my eyes and sighed as she laughed like a little kid.

"_They_ are a boy and a girl, I think."

"You think you're getting one of each?"

"I hope so."

"What about names?"

"Hmm," Jordyn murmured. "I hadn't thought of those yet."

"So why not now? What about if it's a girl?"

"Hmm….Nina."

"Nina? That's the best you got?"

"I don't care what you say, my daughter isn't going to school with some horrid name from the Philippines, Quileute tribe or not."

"Ugh. What about Ambrosia." That earned me a swat at the back of my head, nearly tumbling us both over. "OW. Okay, okay, guess not. Joy?"

"Sounds too much like Jordyn, don't you think?"

"Kimmy Jr."

"I hate you."

"What about Arbor? You know, Are-Burr." I asked, playing on our great grandma's old name. Jordyn paused for a moment.

"Arbor. I like it. It's pretty." She mused.

"Okay, Arbor." I smiled, turning a corner. "Now what about the boy?"

"Collin."

"Collin? So basic."

"Turner?"

"That poor child."

"Alright, smartass, what can you think of?"

"Jared Jr."

"You miss him, don't you?"

My face turned hot, even in the freezing rain.

"What about Kyle?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Too basic."

"Evan." She was silent again as we trudged across the front porch to our home. It felt like I hadn't been here in weeks, as if it wasn't even home anymore.

"Evan." She murmured as I set her down, unlocking the door. "Evan and Arbor. I love it!" she beamed at me with her row of perfectly straight pearly whites.

"Evan and Arbor." I repeated to myself. I liked it, I liked it a lot, in fact, and the more I repeated their names to myself, the more I started loving them, even though they weren't here yet. Lord knows how many times we'd go over these names, wondering how well they fit, if they fit at all.

"What do you think they'll be like?" I asked as I passed her a mug of hot cocoa, sitting down at the table across from her. She perched her feet on my lap.

"No clue," she admitted. "I imagine they'll be a lot like Lucas, loud and funny if we're lucky. But to be honest it sort of seems like it'll be as if I'm meeting two complete strangers."

I thought that over for a second and wondered what me and Jared's kids would look like, if we ever made up and had them, of course. Then again, we could kill two birds with one stone and do both things at the same time…I went back to the nights Jared and I laid in bed saying stupid, fluffy, cute things to each other, wondering where the hell they'd all gone. If we were so strong back then, why were we breaking now? I could answer that myself. Because this time, we weren't sure he'd come back, this time I wouldn't be with him, wouldn't be able to watch everything play out and decide whether or not it was a good idea to try and help even though I was nothing but a weak human.

"Kim?"

"Hmm?" I murmured as Jordyn pulled me out of my stupor.

"You didn't answer my question. What'd you want for dinner?"

"Oh. Steak is fine." Steak was fine. And so was I.

*** "Quit fidgeting!" I scolded two weeks later as Emily fiddled with the hem of her dress. I tied back the left side braid and wound the rest into a tight side bun. She smiled at me in the mirror, her lightly dusted lavender eyelids contrasting against her dark-brown eyes.

"I'm so nervous." She laughed brushing her bangs out of her face. I slapped her hand away and curled the last pieces of hair the framed her small face, satisfied with my masterpiece. Jordan pulled the dangly silver earrings out of the box and tilted Emily's head to the side to put them in for her. "Guys I'm so nervous, I'm so-"

"Em, you look flawless. There's a man out there who's been waiting for you his entire life without even knowing it. Haven't you done this before?"

"Yeah, sort of, well…yes, sort of. It was a traditional engagement party, sort of like a wedding but not as official."

"Emily! When you told me about Leah you said you invited her to the we-"

"THE TRADITIONAL ENGAGEMENT PARTY, YES YES I KNOW!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. "There was no AISLE involved, know white dress, good Lord."

"You've fled from you-know-what's in the forest with me, don't be such a baby." I teased. Emily flashed me a brilliant smile and nudged me before taking an extremely deep breath.

I helped her to her feet, patting the small baby bump that was already starting to form on her tummy.

"He'll be coming soon." I smiled. Em shook her head.

"Nope. I think it's a boy."

"I think you're wrong." I said honestly, staring at her tummy. Something felt like a small girl to me.

"Why's that?"

"Because any time I think of you guys and your baby, I picture Sam holding a little girl, not a boy."

"He'll be such a good father." Emily smiled dreamily. I believed her. Sam was protective, funny, stern but loving. Shock washed over me as I realized how he'd easily slid into the place of my father without me even realizing it. Sam _was _a good father, no matter how young he was.

"You ready?" I asked, leading her to the door of the altar. You could feel the electric excitement coming from the crowd all the way out here.

"Are you?" She laughed, the music cueing. A few of Emily's friends brushed past me in their lavender gowns, each in arm with one of the Pack boys.

Jared came around the corner, stopping as soon as his eyes hit me. His calm, cool demeanor slowly faded away the longer he stared at me, my thick black curls tumbling down my shoulders.

"You're…"

"Late." I finished softly, before he could say the word that would end our two week long "break". Jared composed himself once more and held his arm out silently. I gave Emily one last look and kissed her forehead as her grandmother handed me the Maid of Honor bouquet. I took a deep breath as Jared led us down the aisle.

Everyone stared, even if I wasn't the bride they had the natural reaction to turn and look. It felt like _I _was the bride, and even though I scolded myself for thinking about how it should be my day instead of focusing on the fact that it was Em's, I couldn't help but wonder what me and Jared's wedding would be like. It was the perfect setting, the perfect atmosphere, all I wanted to do was stand at the altar and tell him "I Do" so this stupid fight could be over.

"I'm sorry." Jared whispered to me through a whisper. I looked up at him in surprise, unable to get any words out before we had to part at the altar, staring at each other as he took his place behind Sam.

The music for Emily came on, and she strutted down the aisle confidently, going faster than necessary and earning a waft of laughter from the crowd. She looked flawless, the marred side of her face mostly covered by a sweep of shiny black hair. You almost couldn't tell the accident had ever occurred, and it'd dawned on me in that moment that I was so used to Emily's face that without the scars she looked like a stranger.

As I followed her with my eyes, I caught Jared's gaze, and he looked utterly beautiful. His broad build was bathing in a black suit, I remembered having to suck it up and help him fiddle with his tie until the damn thing finally looked right. It was an awkward moment, but in that moment I wanted to go back in time and help him fix it again and again, just to be close to him. 'I love you', he mouthed. God damn, was he perfect. I couldn't find a damn thing wrong with him and it was killing me. I had been rotten and hard-headed enough to keep this argument going on for forever, hadn't even stopped by the house to pick up my things, I hadn't even had the decency to wake him up before leaving Sam and Emily's the morning after the argument when I'd forgotten to re-lock the door and found him sleeping next to me. I flashed him a brilliant smile and told him I loved him too, causing him to grin like a four year old on Christmas.

As the night went on, it felt like the wolves and vampires had never existed, like Jared Thail had just magically plucked up the courage to ask me out one day instead of it being caused by some freakish ancient bond, and after some time we'd grown to be close with Sam and Emily Uley. It was like all of it had fallen into place by itself, no catalyst needed. I ended up spending half the reception wondering what I'd done to become the heroine in such a fabulous story, despite my worries about the upcoming battle.

"Beautiful. You aren't late, you're beautiful." A husky voice breathed into my ear. I turned to Jared and buried my face in his chest, regretful that I'd let our fight go on for so long.

"I'm sorry, that's what I am."

"You shouldn't be, Love. I should've told you earlier."

"It isn't your fault Jared."

"It isn't my fight, either, and it's causing you more pain than half his tribe is worth."

"Don't say that. They need you."

"You need me."

"I love you."

Jared didn't have a comeback for that one, he simply looked down at me and kissed my forehead sweetly, pulling me close to him.

The cake was cut, the dances danced, people laughed and squealed and drank like there was no tomorrow, everyone doing their best to put on a brave face. All those who'd had an issue with my sister only a month before were now cooing at her stomach, patting her tummy, thinking of baby names even though I'd already gotten to help pick them out. Too many speeches were given to count. I spent some of the night laughing and dancing with friends and family, and the rest of it tangled in Jared Thail on the floor of our bedroom. There was nothing that could stop us, nothing that could take away the warmth that had planted itself firmly in my chest.


	18. Time

It was escaping us. There was nothing we could do to escape it, nothing to change it-because we hadn't even noticed until it was too late. Weeks went by, then a month, then a second. Jordyn and Emily were spending more time together than they did with Lucas and Sam, the latter of which spent most of _his _time with _my _boyfriend, and those two with the rest of the Pack, leaving yours truly very much alone.

I laid tangled in my favorite golden sheets, the silence in the room weighing on me. Jared had left hours ago to patrol with Sam and the boys, which was normal, but I couldn't help myself from being Sam. For a moment, I thought about going to Emily's or finding Jordyn, or even popping in to see Mom, but knowing both of them were busy I couldn't tear them away from their usual activities without being guilty. The sunlight was starting to seep in through the windows, the comforter glittering in its light at my feet. I felt peaceful and empty both at the same time.

Sliding out of the sheets, I threw my hair in a messy bun and put on the first things I saw lying around on the floor, one of Jared's t-shirts and some sweats. It was time for a walk, time for some fresh air. The sliding door was oddly sticky, I nearly toppled over trying to get it open. The air was hot against my face, almost uncomfortably hot, like the first few moments that your feet are in a hot tub of water. I wanted to jump back inside but silently reminded myself it'd pass in a few seconds. It didn't. I squinted against the glare of the sun and looked around. Today didn't feel right. Today felt wrong, really, really wrong, and as I opted to walk around in my sports bra instead of Jared's shirt, the forest seemed to be calling my name, tugging at me as if someone was in there that needed my help.

I trudged through the forest, the air thick with humidity. It was hard to breathe, hard to see at times, even. Where the hell was all the fog coming from? The birds were chirping too loud. Louder the farther I went. What is this? I try turning around. I can't. There's no moving. No seeing. I'm sorry, who? Someone's speaking to me, someone's speaking to me in tongues and I can't breathe or talk because my own is too thick with thirst. What time was it? How long had I been weaving through these trees? It felt like years. Hundreds of them. I was heavy. What? What the fuck was going on? The world was getting hotter than it had been a few minutes ago, or was it seconds? Hours? Someone help. This isn't right, someone help right now. The farther I walk, the worse it gets, if I try to turn around, I'm jolted backwards, my ribs start moving back to my path, start begging me to keep going.

"Jared!" I scream, flashes of white appearing around me. What the hell is this? Some sort of sick mind game? I feel like puking. Throwing up all together. I need to breathe. I cannot see, I can't feel, I can't move, what?

There's teeth. Hundreds of them, ripping me a part, screaming at me to move, screaming at me to find Jordyn, find Mom, something's wrong. My arm is two inches away from my face, unattached to my body. Three leeches pounce on it, tearing the flesh away from it, drinking in the red liquid that oozes from it. Someone takes my leg. I watch them devour it, the screaming building up in my throat but unable to fully make a sound. I need my Jared. I need to die, that's what I need. One pounces on my torso, slapping me hard across the face before tearing at my abdomen, ripping me open, snapping and twisting each rip in its path as it buries it's face in my stomach, blood flooding my throat. I grapple for something, anything as the remaining vampires take whatever is left of me. I'm on fire, intense pain as they rip me to shreds, my limbs nothing but bloody heaps of muscle and skin, blood matting the grass all around me.


	19. This Is Not How We Intended To Pass Time

**(Kim and Jared say goodbye, Kim reads the letters)Bloodstream-Stateless**

**(Breakfast, Pictures, Makeovers)Young Folk-Peter Bjorn and John**

**(Road troubles)Eclipse Score-Victoria vs. Edward and the Battle**

* * *

><p>My eyes snapped wide open, I was clawing at the sheets around me frantically, tearing them apart, pulling them away from my skin, screeching, crying, all at once.<p>

"Kim, Kim! Kim wake up! Wake up dammit, Kim!" Jared grabbed my face in his hands as I sobbed uncontrollably, horror taking over his expression. Mom burst through the door as Jordyn shot out of bed. They were all over me in seconds, screaming at me to calm down and wake up. I felt sick to my stomach, shaken to my core as if someone had just shoved their fist in my chest and ripped out my soul.

"Don't go." I choked out, clinging to Jared. He looked like he was in ridiculous pain, more than I was in during my dream. He buried his face in my hair, a few betraying tears escaping his eyes and dissolving his strong façade.

They didn't let me live the night down, not even days after it'd occurred. I'd tried convincing them I was peachy, that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me but they saw straight through it. They weren't buying anything I had to say, and if ever I went ten minutes without speaking, they'd bombard me with questions, asking if I was alright, asking if I needed anything. I needed sleep, not that I'd get any. I'd lay with Jared all night and pretend to fall into slumber, finally opening my eyes when his light snoring filled the room. I'd watch him in his peaceful state, more than envious.

"Please don't go." I whispered again as Sam headed out the door with the rest of the boys. Today was it, today was the day. Jared brought his lips to my forehead and clung to me tightly, as if these were going to be our last minutes. They sure felt like it.

Tears were cascading down my cheeks and I wiped them away furiously. _Don't let him see you cry. Be strong for him. Be strong for all of them. _I pleaded with myself. Dad's words were echoing throughout my mind as they always did these types of situations.

"I have to leave, baby." Jared whispered, caressing my face with one hand, running a thumb over my cheek and lips. "I have to leave."

"Please…"

"Don't make me stay," he pleaded. "Don't make me do it, Kim. Please."

I looked at his big brown eyes, guilt washing over me. He needed me to keep it cool, was begging me not to tear him in two different directions. I brought together everything I had, all the courage that'd exploded in my chest while running in the woods, all the things I'd felt while promising to protect Emily and anyone else I could to help Jared,I took it and let it explode in my heart. I stood a little straighter and inhaled Jared's scent, using it to strengthen every muscle in my body, thicken all the blood that ran through my veins.

I stood on my tiptoes and forced his lips to mine, running my tongue across his and lacing my fingers in his hair. His hands were strong and possessive against the small of my back, and I knew he wanted to stay just as much as I needed him to. We'd spent all night tangled in each other, we'd barely gotten any sleep against Sam's orders, but Lord knows he and Emily had been up all night doing the same. I pulled back and took another look has his perfectly sculpted face, wondering how I'd gotten so damn lucky.

"Six months ago I was a little girl. I was loud, I was obnoxious, I was caught doing something stupid almost 24/7 and I refused to take any advice but my own," I murmured, looking into his eyes. "Thank you for turning me into a woman, Jared Thail."

"Now you're loud, obnoxious, caught doing something stupid 24/7, you refuse to take any one else's advice but your own…" Jared teased. "But you're mine. When I leave, Kim…no questions asked, you have to go to the place where we first felt it. No questions, just think on it, okay? It's here, it's here in the house."

We stared at each other for as long as Sam would permit, trying to soak in every last bit of each other as possible. Jared tore himself away from me as the boys called to him, watching me every second he could before exploding mid-walk and running to the edge of the trees. My beautiful chocolate wolf took one last look at me, the green flecks in his eyes more vivid than ever.

"Come back with the others, Jared. Come back or I'll kill you." I whispered, blowing him a kiss before he disappeared.

I leaned against the doorframe, a 20 pound weight perching itself on my heart. I felt heavier than ever, like my insides were going to sink through my feet. Emily placed a small hand on my shoulder and offered to make some lunch. As she bustled about the kitchen I trudged upstairs to the bathroom, the hot water raining down on me as I thought about what Jared had meant about the place we first felt it. What was _it?_ I laughed, remembering how Jared had sounded the countless times he'd asked me that question, back in our days of witty banter and holding everything back. It seemed like years ago to be honest. How had I answered him? It was a pull, electricity, like I had to be close to him. I thought about where.

Hopping out of the shower was like stepping into the arctic, not helping to jog my memory. It was like the night I'd first come to Emily's as Jared sponged me down, the icy water conflicting with his hot skin. Something clicked in the back of my mind before I dashed into the guest room.

I was turning over tables, emptying out drawers, sifting through the closet, turning over the mattress before I finally found a tiny golden envelope in the mess of baby blue sheets. I sat down on the edge of the bed, water trickling down my back and neck as I ran a finger through the seal of the thick paper, lifting out the letter inside.

_Kim-_

_ If I'm lucky, you found this after I left. You're the smartest girl I know, there's no way you haven't figured it out. _

_ I miss you already. I feel it every time I have to leave you, like there's a thousand steel cords yanking me in your direction, no matter where you are. It's like your anchor, like the farther I have to go, the heavier I am, as if I'm pulling myself in two, ya know? When someone pulls your arm too hard, or when you stretch out a peace of gum until it rips in two. That's right, you're the other piece of my ripped-up gum. Romantic, no? _

I chuckled lightly. He was so stupid.

_I don't want you to spend all day worrying for me. I want you to take care of Jordyn and Katie and Emily, because I know for a fact you're the strongest out of all them. Go visit your Mom, go to the girls' doctor's appointments with them, cook for when we get back, think of something stupid for all of us to do cause Lord knows you're good at that…_

_ Keep yourself busy, Love, please, for me. Do your best to pretend that I'm right there with you, doing whatever you are, or that I'm upstairs in one of our favorite rooms sound asleep. Hold on as long as you can, and when I say as long as you can, I mean it. Do it for the other girls and do it for me. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like I feel whatever you do, as if I understand when you're sad, or when you're furious, whenever you need me there to make you feel better the pull gets worse, and I need all the strength I can get to fight this fight for the both of us-so give it to me. Be my strength today, Love…and when you can't take anymore and you absolutely have to hear from me again, go to the place we decided to be friends._

_-Jared_

I threw myself back into the sheets, my wet hair splayed all about the bed. The ceiling wasn't going to answer my problems, but I stared at it for what felt like hours anyway until Emily's voice rang out along the halls. I pulled one of Jared's hoodies off the floor and skipped down the steps, putting on a brave face.

"Smells good, sweet pea!" I chirped, kissing Emily on the cheek. "How's the baby today?" Emily raised an eyebrow at me while Katie picked her jaw off the floor, but they continued passing the food around the breakfast bar anyway.

"He feels alright, the poor kid won't quit kicking though!"

"He's runnin' out of room!" Jordyn beamed, patting her own tummy while scooping eggs into her mouth.

"Have you picked out a God forsaken name yet?" Katie asked, seemingly distracted by the baby chatter. I silently thanked Jared for the advice. If this is what it took to get their minds off our men, I'd do it.

"Well, since it's a boy-"

"Girl." I corrected royally, sipping on my orange juice. Emily shot me a look and rolled her eyes but kept wolfing down her toast anyway.

"Since it's a _boy, _I was thinking maybe…"

"Clark."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Ignore her, Em. I chose her kids' names, not her."

"Hey!"

"Sorry Jor, your kids would be social hermits without me."

"Whatever." My sister scoffed, rolling her eyes and flinging a piece of toast at me. I swatted at her.

"What about Adam!" Katie chirped, beaming.

"I mean it's progress…"

"Hey, everybody's name is Adam." Katie pouted.

"Exactly! It's too common."

"EXCUSE MEEEEE," Emily wailed, banging her fork on the table. "_My _son, will be named Braedon."

We all stared at her with confused expressions for a moment while she beamed proudly at us.

"What?"

"That's absolutely atrocious."

"By God, what the hell were you-"

"MY baby names were better than that. MINE, Emily, that's just a sha-"

"Listen, if you wanna be REALLY wild-"

"Braedon Uley." I murmured while Katie and Jordyn attacked poor Em. They paused in their assault and listened to me as I murmured his name again. "I like it." I decided. Emily bounced up and down like a small child.

"Ahh! Really? Me too. I think it's great. I told Sam, I hoped maybe it'd help him fight, you know, remind him that he has something waiting for him back here." She murmured sweetly. A sad air washed over us again. Our boys were off in the forest doing God-knows-what, and now we were reminded of it.

We needed a distraction.

"You think he'll look like his Daddy?" I asked loudly, sipping my coco.

"Oh yeah, Sam looks way too much like his grandpa for our baby not to take after their strong features. Plus, I think he'll look a lot cuter like that."

"Em, don't say that!" Jordyn whined. "You're beautiful!"

"Oh shut it, shrimpy. I hear you're quite a hot commodity at your little high school."

"Yeah, not so much anymore." Jordyn laughed softly.

"What were you like in high school?" Katie asked.

"Lord knows it was centuries ago." I teased as Emily finished up her toast and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Let's see," she mused. "I was never a cheerleader, nothing of that sort-except I was really into soccer," she smiled, getting excited again. "I ended up getting a scholarship, and since I decided to stay in La Push I started Community College. After two years I decided I wanted to major in Cosmetology, not that I have much time for a beauty school these days." She laughed. "I'll get there someday. I was hoping maybe after the baby was born Sam would help me find a school."

"Em, you're six months pregnant. You're more than halfway there. You gonna be ready when that sucker pops out?" I asked, munching my bread. Emily nodded furiously.

"Of course, I will be one of the best Mommy's ever!" she declared, nearly knocking over one of the many stacks of Motherhood books she owned. There were at least 100 different ones she'd bought, too fearful she'd heat it's bottle at the wrong temperature or pat it's back the wrong way.

"Lord knows you're better prepared than I am." Jordyn murmured, catching a breastfeeding manual before it hit the ground and plopping it back onto the counter.

"Oh come on, Jor," Katie encouraged, handing her more eggs. "You'll be a great Mom. It'll be hard, but who better to handle the job?"

"I suppose," Jordyn sighed. "Lucas is more excited than I've ever seen him, I swear he'll be a good Daddy. Thank God I got lucky."

"Lucas is a good boy." Emily agreed.

"Most would've dipped out the second they heard the word 'child'. I'm proud of him."

"He's supposed to meet me at the doctor's today."

"Oh yeah, mind if I come with you guys?" I asked, remembering Jared. "Em, you too. They're around the same time aren't they?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. We'll carpool!" Em chirped.

"I ain't drivin." Katie declared, staring out at the sheet of heavy rain in the backyard. I rolled my eyes.

"Baby." I teased. She stuck her tongue out at me.

As we all cleaned our dishes and tidied up the kitchen, Emily dug up one of her old photo albums.

"Lookie what I found!" she smiled as we all piled on the couch next to her. "You guys asked what I was like in high school, right?" She asked, opening the large black binder. The first picture was the one she took for freshman year, her braces glinting against the camera flash.

"Oh Lord." Katie yelled, bursting into a fit of laughter. Emily swatted at her, Braedon and his obnoxiously large bump nearly shoving me all the way to the other end of the couch.

"Jeez, kid!" I whined, poking Emily's tummy.

"Those things were horrid," she whined. "Every time I took a ball to the face I ended up slicing my lip in half."

"Must've had a rough time with Sam then." Jordyn jabbed, earning a fist to the boob. "Ow!" she cried holding her boob. "Those things are sensitive."

"So am I!" Emily defended, nestling back into her seat on the couch. She continued flipping through the album, occasionally pointing to one hideously embarrassing photo to the next. "I didn't get pretty until Junior year." She said matter-of-factly, showing us her class picture. In a way, she was right. Her entire life she'd carried certain features, but it wasn't until she turned 17 that Emily really blossomed, her skin glowing, her perfectly straight pearly whites lighting up the entire frame. Seeing her without her scars was unnatural, and I furrowed my brow.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked, drawing everyone's attention to me.

"Nothing…just wondering if that's when I'll get pretty too." I lied. Emily and Jordyn exchanged looks.

"When you'll get pretty?" Emily repeated. I nodded slowly, realizing that I had indeed wondered it myself before. "You're pretty now."

"Oh stop."

"She's right, Kim."

"Jordyn, can it okay?"

"Jeez, kid. Why so snippy?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've been well aware that you're the prettier sister for years now. Family members, our friends, teachers, everyone compares us, Jordyn. You've never had insecurities, and if you have you've never shared them, so I don't want to talk about how easy it is to love yourself." I murmured honestly. Jordyn frowned at me, grabbing my hand.

"You don't like the way you look?" She asked quietly. "Let me change it."

I studied her face for a moment, trying to figure out whether or not she was serious. She was. Dead serious. In fact, I was sure that even if I'd told no, she'd yank me by the hair until I let her have her way with me.

"Let me give you a makeover." She pressed, staring me down. I raised my eyebrows at her. "We'll need to fix those too." She commented. I shot her a look and allowed her to lead me to the kitchen as she and Emily squealed in delight, Katie racing up the stairs to get Em's never-ending bag of makeup.

I swatted at Jordyn in protest as she dripped hot wax across my eyebrows, Katie having to pin my arms to the chair to keep me from knocking them all over.

"You are such a traitor!" I growled at her while Jordyn placed thick sheets of paper over the wax.

"I'm not a traitor! We're trying to help you out, Kimbo! Isn't this fun?"

"Fun? This is ridicul-SON OF A BITCH!" I whined as Jordyn ripped away the paper, half my eyebrow leaving with it. I kicked her in the shin, earning another swat to the back of my head.

"There, that looks _so _much better, Kim. You shoulda let me do this ages ago." She commented, confident with her work. Emily attacked with the tweezers while Jordyn moved to the other brow, Katie now sitting on me to protect the other two from my wrath. I whined again as Jordyn ripped away the other sheet of paper, then the one in the center of my forehead.

"I hate you." I growled.

"Not after this act of service." Jordyn scoffed, waving the furry paper at me. My poor eyebrows. Emily attacked with the tweezers again, like a God damn bottom-feeder having a ball in a dirty fish tank.

"Ooo, get her mustache." Katie instructed, staring at my lip.

"Mustache?" I wailed. " I do NOT have a mustache."

"I dunno, Kim. You're lookin a little furry there."

"I'm gonna furry my foot up your ass."

"Doesn't sound like it's gonna help your peach fuzz situation." Katie retorted as Jordyn drew the wax across my upper lip.

"This one's gonna hurt." She winced, getting ready to tear away the paper.

"NO! NO! JORDYN DO-OWWWWWWWWW!" I cried, throwing Katie off my lap. Jordyn scurried out of my reach, waving the paper in the air as she laughed like a four year old. Emily yanked me back into my seat as Jordyn hopped around the kitchen.

"Sit, Kim! Let me get those ends." She ordered, whipping out a pair of scissors.

"No, no, no!" I protested, grabbing all of my hair in my fists and holding it away from her.

"Come on, Kim, those ends look horrid!"

"_You_ look horrid!" I countered, swatting at her with my foot.

"Here, let me do it. I cut her hair in the fourth grade and she looked great." Jordyn stated.

"I looked like a six year old Chinese boy."

"Listen, you can blame Jared's rejection for you on a hideous haircut, or you can let me help you out."

"So you're admitting it was a horrid job and that's what ruined our marriage."

"No, I'm saying that it had to be your suffering rhyming skills."

"Say nothing." I warned as Emily shot us both a curious look. I let my hair slip out of my fingers, wincing every time I heard the snip of the scissors behind me.

"So what _did _happen in the fourth grade?" Emily asked bravely. I rolled my eyes and buried my face in my hands.

"Hey, don't move!" Katie scolded, yanking my head back up. I gave an exasperated sigh.

"Kim wrote a poem for our lovely JareBear!" Jordyn exclaimed. I kicked her in the shin again. "Ah! Fuck, Kim! ANYWAYS, she decided it was a great idea to profess her love."

"And how'd that work out?"

"It didn't." I pouted. "He took my graham crackers and never spoke to me about our wedding again."

"Ah, the struggle." Katie mused, shaking her head sadly. "On the bright side, you're finished!" she chirped, handing me a mirror.

"Not bad…" I murmured. My hair had gotten to almost my elbows over the course of my new life, and now I was stuck in between the old Kim and the new one, my newly fresh ends dipping just between my shoulder blades.

"I told you I was a pro." Katie smirked, tossing the scissors on the counter. "Jared's gonna love you!"

Jared. It'd only been a few hours, but I was starting to miss him again. I wondered what he was doing, who he was fighting at this very second while I sat comfortably in the kitchen chair, being pampered on. The room grew silent, everyone knew how I was feeling, especially the wolf girls. It washed over all of their faces, the loneliness they felt even in a room full of people.

"I…uh…" I tried, struggling for the strength that I'd tried to display since 7 in the morning. "Maybe…"

"Our appointment is in an hour!" Emily exclaimed, yanking us from our stupor. "We should get ready."

"Yes, most definitely." Jordyn agreed, nodding furiously. Everyone dispersed amongst the house, throwing on clothes, getting a snack or two.

I pulled on a decent pair of jeans with my UGGS and a button up purple plaid shirt, braiding my newly cut hair to the side. The place where we decided to be friends….I thought it over a thousand and one times, mowing through weeks of conversations I'd had with Jared, wondering just where it was until I found myself in Emily's back yard, staring at the overture that she and I'd nearly fallen off of months ago. There were rocks scattered along the lining of the trees, and I'd torn up almost every single one of them to no prevail, nearly giving up before my eyes landed on a small tree stump a few feet away, a tiny golden envelope sticking out of its center. I plucked my second gift of the day out of the wood and took its place, sitting Indian style on what was left of the small tree.

_Kim-_

_ I don't know how long you managed to go without looking for the second letter, but I hope it at least kept you satisfied for a few hours. I'm sure by now we're well into the battle, and I'm kicking more than enough ass for the both of us. I want you to know that no matter who I'm facing, no matter which strategy we're pulling, I'm keeping you in mind._

_ If you're acting like the Kimmy I fell in love with, you've kept the girls busy and happy for the most part, acting like the leader I knew you would. I miss you. More than I did a few hours ago, more than I did the few weeks we'd gone without speaking, which nearly killed me. _

_ I know it's hard, Love. It's probably beyond hard. What you're doing takes more self-control and strength than what I'm doing right now in the field, but it's all for a reason, it's all for a greater purpose. Just like you're fighting with reality right now, I'm fighting through this horde of leeches to get back to you, to hold you, to kiss you, to smell you again._

_ Don't think about what's going on right now. Think about the days to come after I get home. Think about us tangled in those beautiful golden sheets, think about waking up with each other, think of running through the trees with me, splashing each other in the water, devouring almost everything in Emily's pantry and then fleeing from Sam when he yells at us for it._

_ I just need you to hang on for a few hours before I can get back to you. I need you to keep on that brave face that I know you've held for longer than you've ever done before. Do it for me, do it for the Pack boys, do it for the girls….do it for you. Do it because it's the last hard thing I'll ever ask you to do, and once we get through this, we can get through anything. No amount of vampires could keep me from coming home._

_ -Jared._

I tucked the second letter in my back pocket and breathed in Jared's words, relief washing over me as they filled me with enough strength to get up and move back into the house, smile plastered across my face like nobody's business. The paper was hot in my back pocket, felt like it weighed 30 pounds at times, but it was what kept me from bursting into tears on our way to the doctor.

Jordyn and I wailed in protest as Katie sang along to her Mama Mia CD, her tone farther off key than anything I'd ever heard. It was like listening to a smoker try to sing the Phantom of the Opera, and at one point I was sure my ears were going to bleed.

"I think I've just gone blind in my right eye." Jordyn whimpered, pouting. Katie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm a fantastic singer." She chirped, staring out the window. Emily finally had enough mercy to eject the CD and toss it out the window.

"NO!" Katie cried, pressing her face against the foggy window. "That cost me $7 at Walmart." She pouted. I leaned my head against the window and sighed as Jordyn laughed quietly to herself, patting her tummy lightly.

"So I have a question," Katie piped up, tossing her fiery locks over her shoulder. "When we get there, are they gonna stick something up your vagina?"

Emily nearly ran the car into a minivan two lanes over.

"WHAT?"

"You know, do they stick something up there to make sure the baby's okay?" Katie asked innocently.

"Well, uh…I mean, sometimes, they…"

"LOVELY WEATHER WE'RE HAVING." I interrupted, rolling the window up and down frantically. Jordyn and Emily swept in with agreement, our loud voices filling the car. Katie rolled her eyes again, disliking the lack of attention.

"Hey, what's wrong with that guy?" she murmured, furrowing her brows as she stared out the window. "Kim, come look at this."

I unbuckled my seatbelt, the worry in her voice startling me a little. I crawled across the seat and pressed my nose to the glass next to her, eyeing the black SUV one lane over. The man in the car was swerving, clinging to the steering wheel for dear life as if it were the only thing keeping him from falling over into the next seat.

"Em, move over a lane." I ordered.

"I can't. What's wrong?" she asked, staring at us through the rearview mirror. Jordyn twisted around in her seat to get a good look.

"Em, really, move over." I ordered again, the man swerving more violently by the second. Katie rolled down the window, waving frantically in an attempt to get the man's attention.

"Kim, I can't move over, there's too many cars in the way. What the hell is going on?"

"Hey!" Katie shouted at the man. "HEY YOU!"

"HEY!" I joined in, Emily glancing to her left whenever she could.

The man looked over and beamed at us hazily, waving as if he barely had control over his own limbs.

"What the hell is up with this guy?" Katie demanded, making as many gestures as she could to get an answer out of him.

"Katie…" I murmured as two Jack Daniels' bottles rolled off his dashboard. "Emily, move, now!"

"Kim I can't move, what the hell is-DAMN!"

The man swerved, his SUV brushing the side of Emily's small Honda Accord, nearly taking off her side view mirror.

"Hey!" Katie shouted again. The man was focusing on the road as best as he could, occasionally nodding off here and there, drool running down his chin. Emily was honking furiously at the other cars, doing her best to get their attention, and they all blew her off as your avergae woman with road-rage.

"God dammit!" Katie yelled as the SUV hit the side of the car again.

The man's face was twisted in confusion and pain, he was too drunk to hear us screeching at him, even with our windows rolled down. The rain was overbearing, the both of us were nearly soaked already, Emily squinting just to see four feet in front of her. The windshield wipers were working furiously, doing whatever they could to clear the glass for us.

I scrambled back to my seat and tried to put my seatbelt on, answering as many of Jordyn and Emily's questions as I could, rolling down my own window to scream at the drivers next to us. No one would move over. We were stuck.

"KIM, WHAT DO I DO?"

"I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW..JUST...DAMN IT!" I ripped off my shoes and started throwing them at cars, screaming at them to move over, but between the rain and the roar of engines around us, nobody heard me.

The man fell back a moment or two before swerving frantically once more, this time catching the back of the car so violently that we spun into two different lanes, another truck colliding with me and Jordyn's side of the car, glassing raining in on all of us. The car was pulled in forty different directions as vehicle after vehicle slammed into it, the rain soaking the tires to a point that we were sliding across the road. The sound of tearing metal and concrete washed in all around us, every noise involved becoming nothing but one big mass of chaos.

Our screams filled the car as our vehicle flipped on its side, my wrist catching the pavement before I had enough sense to cling to my seat belt as to not be dragged across the road. The car was sliding across the highway, being hit at every given chance. Jordyn and I's side was completely crushed inwards, our faces inches away from the deadly, rapidly moving tar, sparks flickering across our skin. Another vehicle caught the end of ours, the car flying into the air. Katie clung to my arm for dear life, Emily and Jordyn holding each other as tightly as their seatbelts would permit them. My hand found Emily's and we grappled each other tightly, screaming so loudly that my eardrums were starting to pop-bracing ourselves for the impact as much as we could.

No amount of preparation could've readied us for the landing. We hit the ground with a loud screech, grass and wheat shoving itself through the empty spaces where the windows should've been, glass and metal being left in the grass wherever the car rolled. The roof was caving in with every tumble, nowhere was safe for us as the car rolled across wherever the hell we were until finally the screams were dying out, my vision blurring as everything turned pitch black.


	20. Everyone Was Fighting For Their Lives

There was a loud ringing in my ears. Lots of it. Hissing, too. The blackness around me was heavy, like an elephant was sitting on my chest, begging me to go back to sleep. The more I thought about noise, the more I acknowledged it, the greater pain I felt. It was like a searing that started in the middle of my thigh, etching it's way further and further up my body the farther I went towards the light. _Go to sleep, _the darkness begged. _Sleep, little one._ I shifted uncomfortably, hearing a slight rustle in my back pocket.

And that's when I remembered. Crash. Letter. Jared. The wolf girls. Oh my God, the wolf girls. I opened my eyes, pain and heat rushing over my body the second I tried to move. I blinked twenty times in a row, trying to clear my vision. It wasn't until I'd brought my hand up to tap my ear that I'd realized I was hanging upside down, a mess of fiery red curls laid next to my left palm. Katie. Oh shit, Katie. Jordyn. Remember how to speak, dammit! I screamed in my head.

"Kamdfas" I choked. "Katie…" I whispered softly. "Katie." It felt like gravel was lodged in my throat. "Katieeee." I tugged on one of her bright red curls until she stirred against the seat belt, her pale eyelids fluttering open.

She whined frantically, tugging at her seat belt in horror before I grabbed her wrist and brought my finger to my lips.

"Kim!" she cried, trying to grab for me. I held her arms down, shaking my head at her.

"Don't move." I scolded quietly, groaning as I shifted against my seat belt. "Just hold on, alright? Don't move." I took a deep breath before trying to move again. It was like waking up from a six-week slumber, like your entire body was partially paralyzed.

I placed one palm against the crushed roof of the car, using the other to unbuckle myself from my seat. Clearly, I wasn't exactly prepared for my own weight to topple onto my hand and crumbled against the roof of the car with a loud thud, a few bits of glass coming down around me as I laid in my awkward position.

"Ahh….balls…." I groaned, shoving my legs out of the car. It felt good to stretch out, the searing in my thigh fading slowly. I inched my way onto the tall grass, staring at the sky before trying to move again. Katie stared at me fearfully from inside the car.

I crawled over to Jordyn's door, nearly ripping what was left of it off the hinges.

"Jordyn. Jordyn, come on." I whimpered, pulling her carefully out of her seat. She laid flat against the grass, her body too warm for my liking. "Jordyn. Jordyn." I called, shaking her. She wasn't moving, the red liquid oozing from behind her matting the grass. "No, no, no, no," I murmured frantically, placing one palm on her stomach. The babies were kicking furiously, as if they were struggling inside her. "Come on, Jordyn. Wake up." I grabbed a water bottle from the backseat and poured it's icy contents all over her chest before dialing 911 and moving towards Emily.

"Hi, uhm…hi, there's been a crash, we need help right away!" I choked, unbuckling Emily's seatbelt and pulling her away from the steering wheel. She groaned in my arms, clinging to my clothes. "Come on, Em. Wake up."

"Where's your location, miss?"

I stood in the middle of the field, searching for some sort of exit sign or something. There was nothing but grass and trees, the road barely visible through the line of forest.

"Fuck," I muttered angrily. We didn't have luck whatsoever. "We're, ahh…Katie, where the hell were we?"

"2-90."

"Highway 2-90, we were on our way to the doctor, we need an ambulance immediately, okay? Immediately, there's no time to waste, miss. Two of the passengers are pregnant, one's not waking up-"

"One's not waking up?" Katie groaned furiously. "Jordyn!" she wailed from the car. "Jordyn!"

Emily rolled over in the grass, spitting out blood before sitting up and rubbing her head, wincing against the bright clouds. I lifted her face, examining her entire body for injuries but there was nothing serious, just a few cuts and bruises.

"You're the lucky one, shrimp." I teased lightly, moving to Katie, who was still screaming at Jordyn as best she could. Emily crawled around the car to tend to my sister as Katie hit the roof of the car with a thud, screeching and holding her leg in pain.

I shoved the phone in my back pocket and pulled her through the window, careful not to touch the broken bone sticking out through her jeans.

"SWEET BALLS." She screamed, staring at her leg. I covered her eyes and ripped off a piece of my shirt, wrapping it around her thigh to cut off the blood loss. Katie whined in the grass as I ran back to Jordyn, who was mumbling something about babies and where the doctor was.

"Jor, Jor look at me." I begged, shaking her slightly. "Come on, come onnnnn Jordyn Marie, I swear I'm gonna punch you in the face!"

"Hit me and you die, kid." She grumbled, her shallow breathing slightly raspy. I laughed at her in annoyance, simply happy she was speaking at all.

Sirens were blaring miles away, they'd be here soon. All I needed was for the girls to hang on for me, that's all I needed, but the more Jordyn spoke, the worse her breathing got, until at one point we couldn't tell if she was breathing at all. Katie breathed for her as I pumped her chest furiously, begging her to wake back up with another smart ass comment at the ready. Emily was praying as she leaned against the car, whispers of keeping her baby safe occasionally wafting through the air. The sirens were getting closer, but not quickly enough. I could feel myself growing light-headed, feel myself getting drained, so when Katie yelled my name it shouldn't have taken me by surprise.

I'd been so busy looking at everyone else's wounds that I hadn't taken a second look at my own body, too wrapped up with saving the babies to understand the possibility of me being hurt as well. My thigh was gushing blood, a large, glinting slab of glass nestled cozily in the muscle. I hadn't even noticed it, had barely felt it after freeing myself from the car.

"God Dammit." I muttered, grabbing a hold of it. The second it moved, pain shot up my leg, earning a loud scream that echoed throughout the forest. The paramedics could handle that one. As if they'd read my mind, the large, red, blaring vehicle perched itself on the side of the road half a mile away, the men in blue suits running as fast as they could to us.

They were hooking machine after machine up to my sister, sticking tubes down her throat, breaking out the defibrillator while they hauled Katie and Emily away on stretchers. They were working over me like angels, the bright clouds lining their silhouettes in silver as their hands roamed my body for injuries.

"One…Two…Thr-"

"AHHH!" My second scream was louder than the first as they ripped the blade of glass out of my thigh, blood pouring out of the open wound as they ripped my left pant leg to shreds. One hauled me into his arms, whisking me across the field, the wind washing over my open gash. I felt light as a feather, even though in the back of my mind I was wondering how a single paramedic was strong enough to run a 134 pound girl across a field.

They loaded me into the ambulance, sticking needle after needle into my arm, giving me oxygen, muscle relaxers, whatever they could think of to slow down the bleeding. Immediately they started stitching away, threading the needle through my skin like they were weaving a quilt.

"Are the other girls okay?" I asked as the man in front of me focused on an EKG.

"They should be fine. The blonde one, they were having some trouble with her, but we're not sure. Right now I just need you to breathe and relax."

The blonde one. Fuck my life.

"No, you don't understand," I wheezed. " I have to be with her, sir I have to-"

"Ma'am calm down, how old are you?"

"I'm 16, I need my God damn sister!"

"You NEED to calm down!"

I shot out of the sheets, my leg begging me to quit. I pushed past it, determined to get to Jordyn, determined to make sure she was safe. The men pinned me down, restraints locking down around my wrists and ankles.

"Come on, let me go!"

"Listen, I'm begging you-we have two other trauma victims, both with child, we NEED you to CALM DOWN." The man yelled, holding me down by the chest. I stared at him for a moment, our eyes battling each other. I needed to get to Jordyn. "We can save her," he pressed. "We can save both of them, so lighten our load."

I rolled my eyes and slumped back against the stretcher, allowing them to work over me with pins and needles and tubes as we sped our way to the hospital. I stared at the grey metal ceiling, watching as the ambulance lights danced off the tin. I counted seconds, minutes , doing anything I could to keep my mind from drifting towards my friends. Bet Jared didn't have a letter for this one.

My mind was racing. The room was transitioning from black to white every other minute, my heart beat thudding loudly in my ears. My thigh was screeching at me, the searing pain trailing itself up my body every time I moved. The doctors speaking to me was nothing but senseless noise, the screaming in the back of my ears.

"Stay with me," Jared begged, his hot hand slipping into mine. "Baby stay with me please!" My eyes snapped open. It wasn't Jared, it was a doctor, begging me to stay awake, God forbid I lose enough blood to die. I didn't want the doctor. The doctor couldn't save me, Jared could. I tried to recall his words, remembered that I needed to put on a brave face-which was the only thing that kept me from bursting into tears as they wheeled Katie into my room, her pale skin littered with bruises.

"Where'd they take Jordyn and Emily?" I demanded before the doctor had time to leave. He paused mid-walk, like a teenager caught sneaking out of the house at night.

"You need sleep." He changed the subject, flashing me a nervous smile. He was young, only around about 25, at least 6 feet tall with beautiful tan skin.

"I need my family." I corrected gently. He bit his lip.

"Kim, sleep. Please."

"You know my name?"

"Everyone knows your name, you're a hero as of an hour and a half ago."

"An hour and a half ago my sister quit breathing. Where is she at?"

"I promise you they're alive. Could you at least get sleep before we talk about this? You're going to need it." Sleep? SLEEP? If I got sleep, I wouldn't wake up until tomorrow. If I didn't wake up until tomorrow, Jared and Sam would arrive at an empty home, and when they sniffed us out to the hospital, they'd be furious at me when they found I had no answers as to where our family was.

"I can't sleep, tomorrow I-"

"We're gonna make a deal," the doctor huffed, snapping his clipboard and pursing his lips. "You sleep for two hours, I come back, wake you up, and tell you everything."

I thought about this agreement for a moment before nodding, earning myself another dazzling smile.

"Thank you." He whispered before closing the door silently behind him. Two hours. I could do two hours, right? Or couldn't I? No matter how desperately my body begged me for sleep, my mind was racing with thoughts of my family and our Pack boys. Now _nobody _was safe, now I didn't have a clue where the hell _anyone _except Katie was, and even then she laid silently in a mass of her own fiery red locks, her snoring filling the room worse than Jared's usually did.

I needed him. More than I needed sleep, more than I needed to breathe-but I couldn't be that girl right now. Right now I had to be the strong one, I had to assume the role of the leader, even if it meant taking all the blame for what'd happened today. The tears came quickly, betraying every emotion I needed to display. Strong girls didn't cry. It was too late to take all the tears back, so I did the only thing I could at that moment-I cried _silently._

*Jared POV*

_Something isn't right. _I thought quickly, my insides turning over as I ripped the remaining limbs away from a leech, it's screeching coming to a complete halt. I stared around the field. There wouldn't be another wave of them for a few minutes-it was far too easy, picking apart their battle strategy. Sam had it down in minutes, and as he laid out our counter in everyone's minds, we realized this wouldn't be nearly as bad as we'd thought it would.

I missed Kim. I needed her. The second I walked out the door I felt the iron cords ripping my organs in her direction. Her bright smile was flashing through my mind, her cheeks flaming red as she tripped over something and looked around frantically to make sure no one saw.

_I know man, I miss them both too. _Brady whined, nudging me slightly.

_What's wrong?_ Sam asked, trotting over towards us. His black fur was slightly matted with a little blood, worry churning in my stomach. He chuckled lightly at my girlish behavior.

_Something happened. Something's happened to Kim._

_You're paranoid._

_Sam, something's wrong. I can feel it. _

_You feel everything, stop being such a girl._

_If Kim is hurt, then so are the others._

_You're missing her Jared, it's natural to worry._

_When was the last time you checked on your pull towards Emily?_ I demanded, jumping in front of him as he tried to walk away. His face betrayed his demeanor, a worried expression washing over him as he focused on Emily for the first time all day.

_You feel it too._ I murmured.

_Sam, we have to check on them._ Brady pleaded, his ear perking involuntarily at the next mass of vampires heading for the field.

_We don't have time for that._ Paul growled, his tone dripping with annoyance. Brady snapped at him, the two lunging at each other immediately.

They rumbled on the ground, jaws missing flesh by centimeters, the ferocity in Brady was somewhat startling; I'd never seen him so angry before.

_ENOUGH!_ Sam ordered, the Alpha tone ringing in everyone's ears. Our noses hit the ground immediately, the weight of his voice sitting on our shoulders. _We don't have time to fight amongst ourselves. There's another wave coming and I need all of you focused to handle it._

_But Sam!_

_BRADY. Forget her. Forget about Katie for the next few hours, there's nothing else you need to focus on._

_Sam….please…don't…make…me…_Brady was nearly laying on the forest floor now, Sam's voice shoving him further and further with every command.

_You can't just ask us to forget about our Imprints, Sam. It's suicide, you'll drive him mad!_

_It goes for you too, Jared. Kim is non-existing until this fight is over._

_Sam, NO!_

_JARED!_

I begged for them to stay, begged for the memories of Kimberly Conweller to remain lodged in my heart. It felt like I was literally being ripped in two as all of her was removed from me, the touch of her skin, the feel of her lips, the sound of her honey-sweet voice melting my heart every time it met my ears. They disappeared, one by one, each sensation, each whisper, each kiss, everything was gone, and in seconds, the only thing on my mind was the sound of heavy, quick, feet as they rushed through the trees, hissing and bloodlust filling the air.


	21. Two Truths, Two Horrors

**Hey! Shout out to melissawilliamore13 for writing one of the most encouraging reviews I've ever gotten! It's enthusiasm like that which inspires me to write more often, haha! We're most definitely on a rough road here with Jared, Kim and the others...so we're gonna need all the love we can get.**

* * *

><p>My eyes opened gently, the doctor staring at his clipboard and tinkering with my machines quietly. I sighed deeply, shifting underneath the thick white sheets on my small bed. Katie was wide awake, shoveling chocolate pudding in her mouth while Finding Nemo blared on the t.v. screen.<p>

"Morning sunshine." She smiled weakly, offering me a pudding cup. I waved her away, my stomach turning at the idea of food. There was still light seeping in from the windows, the sky now painted with a stunning red glow that reminded me of Jared. Pain shot through my body again.

"Sorry, sorry," the doctor murmured, fiddling with my IV.

"You promised me answers." I whispered. The doctor sighed and pretended not to hear me. "EXCUSE ME." I coughed as he tried to leave. Katie threw a pudding cup at him.

"Fine, fine! Just stop throwing things." The doctor whined, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Where's Jordyn? I repeated for the twentieth time that day. The doctor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Your sister's going to be alright." He murmured. "So is your other friend, the dark haired one. We had to carry out emergency procedures and remove the children."

"But they're alive?"

"Very much so."

I threw my arms around the doctor, planting kisses all over the side of his face as he laughed heartily.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," I rambled on, wiping tears from my eyes. The doctor laughed again and raised his hands.

"It's what I do," he smiled. "You've had a ridiculous amount of visitors. You two are popular, I assume?"

"Eh. We're hot commodities." Katie shrugged, returning to her pudding absentmindedly.

"Were any of them boys?" I asked curiously, sitting up in bed.

"Boys?" the doctor laughed, my stereotypical question lowering his standards for teenage girls everywhere.

"I mean…well…they don't look like boys. They're huge. Super tall?"

"Sorry kiddo, no boys."

My heart fell a little, although I already knew the chances were slight. I knew the odds of the fighting being over this early were slim, but I'd asked anyway, my heart thumping in anticipation. I needed to see him again. Even with my hours of extra sleep I was dying, exhausted, I needed advice, needed a way to keep us alive in this God forsaken mess.

Oh, fuck. I hadn't been able to look for the 3rd letter yet. I thought over where it was, remembering it had to be somewhere in the house. What were all the places he'd listed? The golden sheets, the forest….the water, the…fuck, what was the last one?

"Pantry!" I cried, Katie and the doctor both staring at me awkwardly.

"Ohhkay…." Katie murmured.

"What about my mom?"

"Hmm," the doctor murmured, looking at his charts. "Yeah, she checked in here about half an hour ago. She should be somewhere in the building, need me to find her?"

"Yeah, as soon as possible." I nodded before the doctor disappeared once more.

Katie jabbed her spoon towards the door.

"He's hot." She mumbled with a mouthful of junk food. I rolled my eyes at her. Clearly they'd drugged her up to the highest extent, but I couldn't blame her staring at the poor, heavy walking boot propped up on a pillow at the end of her bed.

"How do you feel?"

"Like balls," she grumbled, reaching for some Cheetos. "At least I did before we got here, but after I woke up it was like the damn thing was never even broken. I feel fantabulous."

"They really drugged you up, huh?"

"Can it, Kimbo. If it wasn't for you I would've died a nice peaceful death and wouldn't have had to get this piece of poo attached to my leg."

"Whatever punk. You were crying before the car even swerved off the road."

"I'M SENSITIVE."

"Clearly." I teased.

"The one day we're supposed to stay out of trouble, and we fuck it up anyway." She mused.

"I was thinking the same thing the second the car flipped." I laughed. Katie set her pudding down, a serious expression washing over her face.

"I miss him, Kim." She murmured quietly, fiddling with the edge of her blanket.

"I know Katie. Trust me, I know-it's killing me too."

"Are you kidding? You've been the best of all of us."

"Only because I have to," I answered honestly. "If Jared wasn't strong, I wouldn't be today."

Mom poked her head through the door, bustling in with loads of flowers and balloons.

"Hello, Loves." She whispered, kissing us both on the forehead. "Did you want me to get something?"

"Yeah, can you go to Sam and Emily's please? There's something for me in the pantry."

"The pantry?" Mom asked, looking at me somewhat confused. I rolled my eyes, nodding to her.

"Yes, yes, yes, the pantry. There should be a little golden envelope, no you are not allowed to read it, but it's very important it gets to me as soon as possible, okay?"

"Yeah, sure sweetheart, as long as you're feeling alright." She murmured, leaving the room again.

"What the hell was that about?" Katie asked, staring at me.

I mulled over answering her honestly. Was it worth it? Of course, she was my best friend, but just like I'd had trouble sharing my intimate moments with Jared to Jordyn, I was having a hard time sharing them with Katie as well. It felt like Jared and I had our own secret world that separated us from everyone else, no matter where we were.

"College thing. I left it in the cupboard earlier." I lied. Katie rolled her eyes at me, moving forward with Finding Nemo.

I snuggled under my blankets, trying to keep myself safe from reality for a good half hour until Mom was back with my letter.

"Here you go sweetheart," she murmured, handing it to me. The seal hadn't been broken yet. Good girl, Mommy. "When you're finished, we're going to see your sister, alright?"

I nodded to her, ripping the seal of the envelope open, Jared Thail in my hands once again.

_Kim-_

_ Lord knows what the hell kind of trouble you four have gotten into._

Sweet Jesus, this boy knew me too well.

_Whatever it is, I don't think I wanna know. If I'm lucky, and you managed to hold out a few hours longer, we should be finishing up. Can you imagine that, kiddo? There's so little time between you and me at this point that it's as if the battle never happened, as if me and the boys were just out on patrol or something. _

_ Have you stayed safe? If you haven't, you can count on getting that ass beat when I come home, I swear. I told the angels to leave me be today, told them that someone else with a better heart needed them more than I ever would, ya know? If we were lucky, they came for you. If we were lucky, they saved you from whatever hell has been risen in that pretty little mind of yours._

_ I want to thank you. I know it's not much now, but trust me, it will be later tonight…_

_You kept me safe during the fight. Kept me agile, kept me strong. All I kept thinking was 'Get home to Kim, get home to Kim and keep her safe from here on out.' Didn't I promise you that? I swore to you I'd never ask you to do something this difficult ever again, not in your entire life and I'll keep that promise no matter what it takes._

_ I suppose now's the time for honesty, huh? I was scared when I left. Beyond scared, in fact. Lord knows if I'll actually make it home or not, but the things I'm writing aren't as much for your peace of mind as they are mine. I feel like if I admit it, if I acknowledge the fact that I might not be following the Pack boys home tonight-that it'll break my soul. You have to get ready for that, Kim. Be ready for everyone to walk through that door except me. I'm not 100% sure of what the outcome will be, but all we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst._

_ I know I'm breaking my promise. I'm such a liar today, aren't I? I swore you'd never have to do anything harder than today. Swore it, so I suppose if I DO die, I deserve to go to Hell, because what could be harder than waiting for me to come home, than knowing I'll never walk through the door when the fight is long over? No matter what happened today, I've thought it through and through, and no matter how selfish it is, I'd rather have you bury me than have it the other way around. I guess in a way I'm ready for death-not because I have no reason to live, but because I have a thousand things to die for, you being at the top of the list. There's nothing in my world these days that I wouldn't fight for-you, my parents, your parents, Jordyn, the reservation….there's so much here, Kim. And I made them promise they'd take care of you._

_ In case I don't make it, I need you to see everything I saw the first day I came back at school. It was like I was hit by lightning, dipped in acid…like I'd seen my very first angel and tasted the first bit of Hell all in one. I realized in a split second that you'd be my fiercest strength and my greatest weakness, my backbone and the one who'd bring me to my knees. There was nothing that could keep me from you, not a storm, not miles and miles of Earth, not an army of vampires, nothing. You were mine, Kimberly Conweller, and no man or God was going to change that. I'd fight for you every day if I had to, go through extreme amounts of torture just to ensure your safety. I'd murder just to see that dazzling smile, steal just to watch you run your fingers through your hair when you're frustrated. I'd move mountains to watch you dance around half naked in your room with your Mom and sister, take on Zeus himself if it meant I'd get to hear that sweet, sexy voice of yours whenever I pleased. You're everything, Kim. The sun, the moon, the stars that make the night sky worth looking at…you're everything. You're mine. My best friend, my protector, my lover. My wife. I love you._

_ -Jared_

My heart was racing. So what if he'd known it all along, so what if _I'd_ known it all along-he'd written it down, made it reality, made it worth acknowledgement that he might die today, that there was a strong possibility we'd never see each other again. My best friend, my leader, my husband, was probably half-dead in a field full of leeches, our Pack boys being torn limb from limb while we laid tethered to nothing in these itchy hospital beds.

I felt the pit of my stomach start churning as Mom led me and Katie out of our beds, the tile freezing underneath my feet. My insides felt as cold as the floor did as I thought of a life without Jared. What was the point of it after that? What was the point of breathing if the air no longer provided the life it used to? What was the point of drinking water if it no longer washed through you like a cleansing waterfall, whisking away every toxin in your body? My strands fell in a wavy mess over my face, and I hid behind them in such a cowardly state that at one point I was ashamed Jared had even put enough faith in me to ask me to lead these girls through the day. I was nothing without him, nothing but an empty shell of a person, a nobody. I, without him next to me, was worthless, meaningless. It didn't make sense to me, thinking of one without the other. What the hell was there to look forward to in the morning? To look forward to in life?

"Hello, beautiful!" Mom whispered cheerily, leading us into a larger, much louder room, a door in the center connecting two separate chambers-Emily on the left, Jordyn on the right.

Emily smiled weakly at us, bringing her finger to her lips before pointing to Jordyn, who nestled sound asleep in her bed, her blond hair piled on top of her head. Even after a car wreck she looked beautiful. Lucas was watching the football game, comfortable lounging on the couch, one hand holding Jordyn's. I smiled at the two of them, moving to Emily's bed.

"What's cookin good lookin?" I teased, kissing her on the forehead and poking her bruised jaw. She swatted at me, rolling her eyes.

"Sup sugar tits!" she smiled. I pulled her close to me, careful not to pull on any of her wires or IV's.

"How do you feel?" I asked, leaning against the foot board at the end of the bed next to Katie, our feet nestled in Emily's lap.

"Better. Much better now that they've gotten me all fixed up. There was a bit of internal bleeding, nothing they couldn't square away. Of course we're all going to look absolutely dazzling for the next few weeks." She laughed quietly.

"It's not even worth trying," I grumbled honestly. "We all look worse than the car." We all laughed softly, the soreness popping up all over our bodies in sync.

"Oooh, I almost forgot about that. Sam's gonna be pissed about the car."

"As if, Em. He'll be happy to see you alive."

"Speak of the devil."

Our heads all whipped around immediately, each of us searching for our own beau to walk through the door. First it was Sam, who looked like absolute hell. He nearly ran over four different nurses as they scurried along the hallway, his huge frame barely able to fit through the door as he swatted Katie and I off the bed, taking our place as we tumbled to the floor.

"Holy balls, Sam."

"Yeah, could ya be a little more careful?" I grumbled, searching for Jared in the mass of men walking through the door.

"Oh, Sam!" Emily cried, throwing her arms around her husband.

"What happened? How'd it go?" I demanded, bombarding him with questions. "How is everyone?" I asked, fully aware he knew I was talking about Jared. Sam opened his mouth to answer momentarily just as Brady flew into the room, scooping Katie and her giant ass walking boot into his arms.

"Oh my GOD!" she screamed, planting kisses all over his face. He crushed her to his body.

"I love you, I love you I love you I love you," he murmured, nearly swallowing her face whole. They were embracing each other like an abstinent couple on their honeymoon. Where the hell was Jared?

"What happened?" I repeated, running to the door and sticking my head out. There was no one there. "What the hell happened?" I ran to the end of Emily's bed, staring Sam dead in the eye.

Sam and Brady exchanged worried looks, both of them stuttering for words as the room grew cold. I knew what they wanted to say. Scratch that, I knew what they _had _to say, because if it were up to us, no one would say it. No one would dare speak of something so inhuman and vile, something so torturous. So he was gone.

I began backing out of the room, my hand covering my mouth. Lucas looked like he was about to throw up, and as my gaze skimmed across the room, my eyes landed on something in between Jordyn and Emily's bed, only making the sickness worse. It was horrifying. More than that, it was like a nightmare you couldn't wake up from, but it was the truth, and it needed to be there because if the evidence of it wasn't physical, none of us would've chosen to believe it. None of us would even acknowledge the possibility, and as I stumbled backwards, two different truths weighing in on me at once, the room blacked out, my body hitting the ice cold floor as voices began to blend into nothing in the back of my empty mind.


	22. Glad To Be Wrong, Devestated To Be Right

Even while sleeping, the acid was churning in my stomach. I couldn't shove the image out of my head, couldn't run away from what I'd seen in Emily and Jordyn's hospital room. Hours after I'd come to consciousness in my own bed again, I let them all believe I was out cold. Dead. A vegetable. Believe me, I wanted to be. Nothing in the world sounded better than being anywhere but here when everyone finally recognized the ugly truth. They pricked me time after time, shoved different tubes up my nose to help me breathe, and all I did was lay there, unresponsive to their desperate questions or pleas for me to wake up while Katie munched on her junk food in my ear. I listened to the clock. To Finding Nemo, other Disney movies included. I counted the number of seconds it took for Katie to finish a bite, and wondered where the hell Brady was.

And then there was Jared. My Jared. The Jared that _was, _then was _not. _I was lucky enough to hit the floor before they managed to choke out the confession, the tale of how everybody's soul was saved but mine. I replayed the incident in my head over and over, making up different ways for his cause of death. Did one of the leeches sneak up on him as he tried to save one of his brothers? Did they try to take him on all at once? How long had he lasted?

I shoved the thoughts away from my mind and focused on anything else I could. All that was left were the noises remaining in the room. No, I have to find my son, Nemo. Tick. Tick. Tick. Munch. Munch. Tick. Memo? . No, Nemo. Tick. Munch. Munch. Munch. Rustle. Munch. He's a clownfish, he's supposed to be funny. Tick. Tick. Munch. Tick. Rustle. Munch. Munch. Munch. Munch. Munch.

I silently pleaded for Katie to shut the fuck up. She sounded like a God damned race horse.

Tick. Tick. Door opens. Heels on floor. Washing hands, checking vitals, tinkering with machines, click, click, beep, click. Heels on floor. Door closes. Munch. Munch. Munch. Munch.

"Katie, shh." I murmured. " I wanna sleep." The munching ceased for a good 20 seconds before picking up again. Tick. Tick. Nemo. Tick. Nemo. Tick. Munch munch munch munch munchity fucking munch munch.

"Katie, shh!" I murmured louder, rolling over.

Munch. Munch. Munch. Nemo. Tick. Munch. Nemo.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, sitting up in my covers, my eyes snapping open for the first time in hours.

"Oh, sorry," Jared murmured, pulling his hands out of a McDonald's bag and lifting out one of his headphones. "Did you want some of these?"

My jaw hit the floor.

"HELL FUCKING NO I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR FRENCH FRIES!" I screamed, slapping them out of his hand and shoving him off the bed.

"Hey! I was gonna eat those, Kim!" he whined, standing and picking up whatever he could.

"Jared!" I screamed, still staring at him wildly.

"What?" he asked exasperated, looking around the room as if something was about to come kill him. It was probably me.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" I screamed, throwing tubes and wires at him. "YOU DIDN'T CALL ME, YOU DIDN'T WALK IN WITH THE OTHERS, YOU WERE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!" I screeched, thrashing in his hands as he pulled me off the bed in an attempt to control me.

"Kim, come on. Calm down. Kimmy, calm do-"

"YOU DIDN'T WAKE ME UP!" I screamed, tears pouring down my face as I beat him as hard as I could with my fists. What the hell was wrong with him? Was he stupid? He'd let me actually believe that he was dead, that I had nothing left to live for, that all of the fighting and running and bruises and injuries and breaking of houses was all for nothing, that none of it mattered and it was nothing but a dream that no one believed had happened except me.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?" I screamed again, sobbing now, one second beating him, the other holding him close to me, planting kiss all over his body. "WHY DIDN'T YOU-"

Jared's lips came hard on mine, and it was like being thrown into an ice bath after being trapped in a house fire, like the moment someone opens the door after you've caught your finger in it. I felt like I was burning up inside again, but this time I welcomed it, this time I begged for it to never leave me again because I felt like a relapsing drug addict, the withdrawal symptoms nearly fatal.

"You didn't wake me up." I sobbed again as Jared picked me up and set us on the bed, stroking my hair as he rocked me back and forth.

"I know, I know, Kim, I know," he murmured, his voice like water in the Sahara. Sweet Jesus, I needed him so badly it was like breathing again, it was like I would've traded anything in the world for Jared Thail, air, water, food, you name it, and you could have it as long as it meant he'd never leave me again. "Kim, breathe, baby. Please breathe, Kimbo."

"Jared!" I cried, clinging to him. I was inhaling his scent like it was better than fresh air.

He brought my lips to his again, gently this time, a reassurance, a calming sensation washing over me as I took him in. I was panting, frantic, as if it were a dream, as if there was a possibility that I really was unconscious and this was just my body screaming for him-but it was real, _he _was real and I was thanking the heavens with any breath I could muster up.

"Kimberly. Kimberly, love. Look at me. Come on, look at me." Jared said softly, holding my face in his hands lightly. He was stroking away my tears, staring at me like I was the angel in this situation. What a stupid boy. "Kimmy I'm right here, I'm right here for you. I'm right here." I was hyperventilating like a two year old after a hissy fit.

"I hate you." I whined softly, melting into his touch as he caressed my face.

"Not as much as I love you, so it doesn't matter," he laughed. "I deserve it, anyway. I didn't want you to wake up, Kim. They'd told me what happened and I'd flipped, I was ready to phase in the middle of the hospital. If I'd seen you in any kind of bad state, I would've murdered the next person to walk through the door, no matter who it was. Sam finally came out and told me you were asleep, and after I'd come to check up on you, they said you'd been out for a few hours. I wanted you to get all the rest you could get."

I threw myself around him, my tongue fighting his with a ferocity I never even knew existed in myself. I loved him. Desperately, irrevocably, it was like first nature to me, as if the idea of _not _loving Jared Thail was foreign, absurd. My heart was racing as his hands roamed my body gently but passionately, my fingers tangled in his hair. Machines were blaring in the background, but who was listening to them at a time like this?

"Whoa there." Jared and I nearly jumped six feet apart, my doctor staring at us awkwardly. Oh. _That's _who was listening to my machines at a time like this. "Just ah….just checkin' on ya to make sure you weren't having a heart attack." He laughed nervously, running his fingers through his hair.

"No, no. I feel fine. Perfect, actually. Beyond it." I beamed. I could feel myself glowing, like Jared had set fire to my heart again, bringing Kimmy back to life.

"I could understand why," the doctor smiled. "I remember the first time I was in love."

"Where's Katie?" I asked curiously.

"Your little red-head friend? Oh, I think she and the other tall boy went back to visit Emily. That room's been….quite a scene today."

"Quite a scene?" I asked. And then I remembered.

My stomach did a backflip, every muscle in my body clenching. I had the automatic reaction to recoil, to flee, to turn my face away even though I wasn't in Emily and Jordyn's room anymore.

"Kim?" Jared asked worriedly. I looked into his beautiful brown eyes, wondering if I even had the heart to tell him such horrid news. It was sickening. If it made me want to die, made me lose what little faith I had in God, what would it do to him? I shifted awkwardly on his lap, furrowing my brow the way he did whenever he had trouble with something.

As the doctor left the room, I said nothing, just crawled quietly off of Jared's lap and buried myself back under the thick white sheets. I love my man so much. He didn't ask questions, didn't press me, just wiggled his body next to mine, pulling me nearly on top of him so both of us could fit comfortably. Jared laid silently as I told him the tale of my day, about how I'd found the letters, and without them probably wouldn't have made it through the day in one piece.

"You barely managed to do that _with _the letters." Jared teased, kissing my forehead.

"Whatever." I said, sticking my tongue out at him before moving forward with my story.

"Idiot." Jared murmured after I told him about the drunk driver on the highway. "If I was there I would've gotten out of the car and killed him."

"Wasn't exactly an option for us," I shrugged. "We chose to drive ourselves into several different vehicles before catapulting ourselves through a wheat field."

"That's not funny, Kim. You could've been hurt, much worse than you already were."

"But I wasn't."

"I missed you and your smart ass comments."

"It's what I do. I have this tendency to leave people aching when I'm gone, ya know."

"Yeah whatever. How were the girls when you first got back?"

"Alright, I guess."

"What about the babies?"

Ice shot through my spine.

"That's…that's what we have to talk about. What I needed to tell you before the doctor left."

"What happened?"

"They had to do an emergency procedure ya know, to take out the kiddies. When I asked the doctor about them, he said everyone came out just fine."

"And you thought he meant the kids…when…"

"He was talking about Jor and Em and Katie." I finished.

"But I saw the baby nurses leave, I saw the two women walk out of their room." Jared murmured confusedly.

"Yeah, Jared. There's babies in the room, you saw correctly. They're in the basinets."

"The little clear things that the babies sleep in? Kim I don't get it, what's wrong with the basinets?" I was silent, I had no reply. I couldn't figure out how to get the words out of my mouth, couldn't figure out how to spill. "Kim…what's wrong with the basinets?" Jared pressed again, this time unable to resist finding out the Second Horror of the day.

I couldn't choke it out. I couldn't murmur it, couldn't whisper it even, because I felt like if I did, I'd be a traitor. Satan's advocate, because clearly it was his doing. There was no way that anyone else had anything to do with reality today. "Kim. What the hell is wrong with the basinets?" the worry was growing in Jared's voice, and finally I had no choice. I had to spit it out, had to let it go, at least then I wouldn't have to face the truth alone. The acid bubbled in the depths of my soul where I'd hoped to hide it forever, hoped to condemn it to a lifetime of silence and solitude, hoped to label it as hallucination, but it was time.

"The problem with the basinets….is that there's only two of them, Jared. There's only two in the room. Because out of the 3 babies we were expecting, only two made it out alive."


	23. Consider the Possibilities

**Hey guys! I know this chapter is hella short, but with a cliffhanger like that, I couldn't leave you guys with _nothing._ Yeah, yeah, I'm the Queen of making you guys suffer, I get it-which is why I left you with yet ANOTHER cliffy. Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm a pro at these ;)**

**Anywhoo, I also wanted to give another S/O to melissawilliamore13 and BlondBanana!**

**The reviews from these two make my heart melt! Alrighty, enjoy your last few moments of peace and sanity, because after this chapter things are gonna get ridiculously hectic.**

* * *

><p>Jared's eyes were wide with horror, and I watched silently as the toxin of truth seeped through his skin and started burning at his veins. He buried his face in his hands, sighing more times than I could count. I could feel him start shaking, fearful he might explode in the middle of the room and kill us all.<p>

"Jared," I murmured. "Jared please look at me." I pulled his head out of his hands and held his face in mine. He was crying, devastated. I was conflicted. In one sense, I was ecstatic to be wrong about Jared. Ecstatic that instead of being torn limb from limb in some God-forsaken field, he was sitting right here with me….and then I remembered how right I'd been about the second truth, and it started weighing in on me like two ton bricks once again.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, staring at me with worry.

"I'm nervous." I whispered admittedly. "I don't think they know yet, Jared. I don't think they know who's died."

"We can't be the ones to tell them, Kim. It'll tear them a part."

"It's gonna tear us _all _apart, Jared."

"What do you think they'll do? Or have already done, if they know by now?"

"Emily was conscious before Jordyn was," I murmured. "If it's hers, she's probably furious. Sad, or maybe not. You never know with her, Jared. I imagine Sam would've lost it by now if it was theirs."

"Or not," Jared countered quietly. "If he felt like it was best to stay with Emily when they found out, he could've easily restrained himself."

"If it's Jordyn's, Emily will be guilt-wrecked for years. It'll kill her, Jared, she isn't the strong type."

"What if Jordyn's already awake? What if Emily went back to sleep or something, what if Jordyn's the one who finds the babies?"

"If it's hers that died, she'll be furious. I know for a fact she'll be devastated, Jared it'll rip her apart and Lucas won't know what to do with himself. They aren't built for things like this."

"And if it's Emily's?"

"Of course she'll feel guilty, but not nearly as bad as Emily would if she was the one who ended up with a child while Jor lost one."

"We can't hide out here forever, Kim."

"I know that, Jared. Trust me, I know…it's scaring the fuck out of me."

"Obviously _one of them_ knows what happened, the doctor said the room was a wreck all day."

"There's a door separating the two. Maybe the other hasn't found out yet."

"If we're lucky."

"Or unlucky! What if they feel better after marinating in it for a few hours?"

"And what if they feel like complete ass? Kim, it's up to you. I'd be happy to lay in bed all day with you, we don't have to get involve, but eventually it'll be brought to our attention, Love. It isn't our fight this time, we don't have to defend anyone here." He murmured sweetly.

"Yes we do," I sighed. "It's our family, Jared. Yes we do."


	24. Guilty

"We have to change the name, Sam." I murmured softly, staring at the small bundle in my arms. "We have to change the name."

"You feel guilty." It was a statement, not a question-one that no one else would've been able to make, but seeing as Sam was Sam, he knew me like the back of his hand.

"How can I feel guilty with something so beautiful?" I asked, my throat starting to grow tight as the tears came silently. "And how can I not at a sight so horrible?"

"None of this is your fault, Emily. Don't waste one second pretending it is, because it isn't."

"Sam she's gonna wake up, and when she does she's gonna hate me. What am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to let her be angry, Love. Nothing in the world can calm a mother after she's lost a child. She's going to heal by herself, Emily. Let her be angry."

"And in the meantime? I don't even know who I'm holding, Sam. I feel like I should hate it, like I should toss it out the window for causing so much pain, but look at the face. Can you deny it? It's the perfect combination of you and I, something I never thought I'd live to see after yesterday."

"Don't say that, Emily! God dammit!" Sam sighed, swatting at everything on the counter. I watched silently as the contents fell across the floor.

The baby felt heavy in my arms, as if it'd been drenched in guilt before the nurse handed it to me. I did, in fact want to chuck it out the window. One part of me was screaming at it, wondering how the hell God could be so unfair-how I managed to get my child out alive while Jordyn, a girl years younger than me, was forced to live without one of hers. My mind was racing as my anxiety kicked in, the 'what if' questions piling on top of each other with no end in sight.

It'd kill our friendship, ruin the small family we'd all made. Kim would get involved, then Jared, then Sam and Jared would have conflict. It'd break apart the Pack boys, and in turn, all of La Push. Lord knows it'd only take an hour after our arrival back home for the entire town to know about what'd happened. And then what would they say? As if they didn't like Jordyn enough, as if she'd taken enough bullshit for this pregnancy, spending almost every day at school fighting for two babies, one of which hadn't even made it far enough for the town to fall in love with.

My hands started shaking, my breathing picking up as Sam searched frantically for my anxiety meds. I started crying again, the pressure of my own child weighing in on me. I could feel it, I was going to go crazy, I was gonna be the one in La Push that ended up spiraling into Nut-Ville, the one who'd probably slaughter half her family before being found naked in the forest. I was losing it, and Sam, along with the baby, would have to suffer for it. They'd pay for it every day, and it wasn't like Sam could leave-wasn't as if he could just drop the Pack and take the child somewhere safe from all the criticism and snide looks. I could see it now, no friends in school, no future, no nothing, feeling safe nowhere.

"Emily, listen to me." Sam murmured, squeezing in the bed next to me. He took the baby from my hands, laying it on his chest next to my face, so that we were staring directly at each other. "You'll be one of the best mothers La Push has ever seen. You've done everything you could, Lyly. You're loving, you're kind-hearted, you bought Lord knows how many damn books…"

"Sam, what if I go insane? I can't take guilt, I can't-"

"Then don't present yourself with it. You have nothing to be guilty for, Emily. It's your child, it's _our _child, and like you said earlier, how could you be guilty for something so beautiful? See the nose? It's yours. And the cheekbones? Those are yours too. Don't give up, Em. Not before the fight's even started. You're too strong for that."

"What would you have done? Huh, Sam? What if we'd been the losers this round? What then? Would you still want to prance around, grateful for everything we have?"

"Yes."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Why would I be?"

"You'd have nothing to be grateful for!"

"I'd still have you."

My heart melted at his words, and I stared into his eyes, measuring the sincerity of it all. He was right. It was our child, our gift, the most beautiful accomplishment I'd had in my entire life, and although the skies were grey one room over, mine were crystal clear as big, dark green eyes scanned my face absentmindedly, looking for shapes and movements.

"Beautiful," I murmured to myself quietly. "Absolutely beautiful."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Emily. Everyone will fall in love at first sight."

"I sure hope so."

I looked up at Sam again, who was smiling at the ceiling with his eyes closed, his arms folded behind his head. "What are you doing?" I asked quietly.

"Thanking God for giving me two of the most beautiful girls ever created." He murmured quietly, planting a kiss on my forehead.

I pulled our daughter closer to me and sat up, biting my lip.

"Hold her." I said quietly. Sam popped an eye open as if he was making sure I was speaking to him.

"Me?"

"Do you see anyone else in the room?"

"I…well…I don't think…"

"Hold her." I pressed, leaning towards him.

Sam looked at me nervously before pulling an arm from beneath his head and holding it out. I laughed quietly at the sight of my overgrown man, the baby able to lay in his palm and still have room to sprawl out if she chose to do so. Sam laid there awkwardly, one arm outstretched as if he were holding a dirty soccer ball.

"Well go on," I coaxed. "Love on her!"

"What do I…."

"Good Lord, Sam. It's your daughter. Yours. It's your job to protect her now."

Sam's expression shifted, first from nervousness, then to bewilderment, then to absolute adoration as he stared down at our baby, pulling her close to his chest. He watched in complete fascination as she cooed and stared at thin air, her toes wiggling freely at the edge of the blanket.

"Noooooo." Sam murmured quietly, sitting up and wrapping her feet up. She squealed and kicked her toes out seconds later, Sam furrowing his brow in response. He repeated his actions, only to be thwarted once more. "Noooooo." Sam tried again, knotting up the blanket this time. The baby kicked against the cloth in frustration, finally breaking into short, angry cries when she didn't succeed. Sam stared at her like she had three heads.

"Ahh...Emily...EM...LYLY, IT'S BROKEN." He panicked, holding her out awkwardly again.

"She's pissed, Sam."

"You're too small to be pissed!" Sam cried before caving in. "Fine, fine. Be cold." He grumbled, pulling the knot loose and freeing her toes. She squealed happily, wiggling back and forth.

He moved to stroke her hair, and as he did she caught his pinky, barely able to wrap her entire hand around it. Sam looked taken back, bewildered, like he'd never seen anything like it before. I could see him melting at her touch, becoming a complete sucker for her already. She'd have him absolutely whipped, he'd spoil her to no end, I could already tell and it was pushing me further in love with him by the second.

"I love her." He murmured. "Emily, I love her." It sounded as if he was having a hard time believing his own words, as if he was surprised by it. He looked up and beamed at me, playing with her nose and watching as she'd grab onto and release his finger time after time, her toes wiggling triumphantly. _This is what you're fighting for._ I told myself quietly. _This is why you can't feel guilty…._Even though it was tugging at my soul with the force of 60 two ton bricks.


	25. Everyone Woke Up In Hell

Not even the sight of my sister alive could raise my spirits back up, but they sure as hell helped. I hobbled towards Jordyn as quickly as could, throwing my arms around her the second I was close enough. I buried my face in her hair, sobbing ridiculously as she smiled weakly at me.

"Zip it, kid. If anyone's crying, it should be me. Do you see this?" She whispered, pointing to a long gash on her boob. "That's going to scar! I'm not scar material, Kim!"

"It'll make you look badass." I murmured, wiping my face and sniffing.

"Or like someone got really pissed and just had at you with a woofle ball bat." Katie shrugged, plopping down at the end of the bed. Jordyn kicked at her, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever, I'm still hot," she smiled confidently, brushing her hair out of her face. "Not that you two don't look dazzling yourselves. I'd say we made it out pretty well, no?"

"Us, yes. You, not so much." I winked at her, poking her in the forehead. She wrinkled her nose and sniffed herself.

"Someone needs a shower."

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock. You've been out for two days."

"TWO DAYS?" Jordyn panicked, grabbing at her stomach. I snatched her hands away and held them up.

"Before you kill someone, calm down. They took care of the babies."

"They did?"

"Emergency procedure, everything's taken care of."

Katie, Jared, Brady and I exchanged nervous glances as the lie flew across the room, worried that someone would spill. Jordyn laid back on her pillow, shifting in her bed uncomfortably.

"You hungry?" Emily asked, poking her head through the door. Jordyn's face lit up as our friend scurried to her bedside, throwing her arms around her. I watched the two girls embrace, wondering how long it would last. My bet was not very long.

"Em, I'm so glad you're alright!" Jordyn beamed, kissing her temple. "You guys all have to tell me what happened, I don't even remember what happened." She said, throwing her blonde waves into a bun on top of her head.

"Some douchebag on the road was driving." Katie started, fiddling with a red lock of hair.

"It was ridiculous," I jumped in. "The kid had been drinking a ton, two different bottles were empty on the dashboard."

"We tried to get his attention, but he couldn't even hear us. All he did was wave like a kid from the lollipop guild and try to focus on the road again."

"There was way too much traffic for me to move over," Emily explained sadly. "I kept trying, but no one knew what was going on, so no one paid attention.

"Eventually he tipped the back of the car and we were lost after that point."

"Yeah, there was no going back after that," Katie jumped in encouragingly. "Like 20 different cars flew into us, we were off the road in a minute tops, it was crazy."

"All I remember was grabbing Kim's hand. I was so scared, it was like I knew what was happening but I didn't at the same time!" Emily cried, her eyes growing wide in memory of the tale.

"Oh God, that was the worst part," Katie hissed. "It was horrid. I knew we were in the air, and if that was the case, I knew we'd have to hit the ground again at some point. There was glass in my throat, swallowing felt like Hell."

"It was so loud, my ears had popped so badly that it was like watching a silent movie. One second I could see everything, the next I was out."

"Who was the first to wake up?" Jordyn cried, clearly entertained.

"Kim, as always." Emily laughed lightly, rolling her eyes.

"Oh you would snatch the hero position before any of us got a chance." Jordyn scoffed, nudging me with her foot.

"Are you joking? I felt like death, crawling out of that car was the scariest thing I've ever done." I said, earning a laugh from Emily. We both knew it was _not _the scariest thing I'd ever done. She'd seen me run from leeches in a pitch-black forest, crawling out of a burning car was a walk in the park. "I woke Katie up first, just because she was closest to me, her leg was broken. You were out cold, Jor. It was really bad, we barely got a snide comment out of you-which is how you know it's bad because you have those things on deck 24/7," I teased. "Emily was able to move after a while. We all helped with the CPR, we were just trying to make you breathe, but finally the paramedics got there and….we woke up here. Welcome home?"

"Dear Lord, what a story."

"Did you expect anything less than ridiculous?"

"With you three involved? Absolutely not. We're just lucky nobody was seriously hurt. When can I see the babies?"

The room got very quiet. Someone had to break the ice, and now.

"Jordyn…" I started. She looked at me innocently, a blonde lock falling out of her bun and framing her face gracefully. A loud, happiness-ruining sound erupted from the room next door. Ice split down my spine, my entire body turning numb as I realized who it was that lost a child. It was written on everyone's faces. Katie's, Brady's, even Jared was having a hard time covering his horror, and as Jordyn beamed happily at all of us, I wondered how the hell we were going to be able to tell her that she'd lost a child, that I'd lost a niece or nephew. I buried my face in my hands. I thought we'd have more time than this, thought we'd have a slight chance to explain. Emily sat paralyzed at the edge of the bed, her hand covering her mouth as if it would help quiet the screaming baby girl next door. Damn it all.

"Is that….are they here?" Jordyn demanded, her eyes lighting up with joy. She started glowing as she bounced up and down in her bed, clapping her hands together like a little girl. "Come on, where are the twins?" she cheered, smiling at us all while Sam walked in, handing his daughter to Emily. "Where are the twins?"

I looked to Jared, who seemed just as helpless as I was. Reluctantly, I slid away from the itchy sheets, making my way around the curtain to the small basinets in between the two rooms. The sight of only two made my stomach turn again. The acid was coming back. I tried to keep a steady hand as I lifted the small baby boy out of his slumber, his tiny frame resting neatly against my breast. He was warm. Angel-like. He looked all too healthy for a pre-mature child, but I was beyond grateful. Perhaps this would give Jordyn hope. Perhaps she wouldn't slaughter us all.

Jared did a double-take as I walked in with the baby, something shifting in his expression. I didn't have to ask what he saw, I already knew, because as I caught a glance of my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I saw it too. I wasn't bringing Jordyn's child to her, I was holding Jared Thail's son, I was holding _my _son, the one I'd always talked about wanting. Jared had promised not to bring it up again, he never said he wouldn't dream.

"Ohhh….baby…" Jordyn cooed quietly as I set the small child in her arms. She was illuminating the room now with her happiness, Lucas climbing over the bed to sit next to her and get a better look. The two of them were balling, sobbing happily over their new child, their new gift. If only they knew.

"That's my son!" Lucas exclaimed happily. "That's my baby boy!"

"It's Evan." Jordyn smiled quietly through tears.

"You're beautiful." I told them all, Jared wrapping an arm around my waist as we watched the couple coo over their child. "You're all beautiful."

It wasn't for them as much as it was for me. I needed to soak all of this in, needed to feel what it was like to be in the presence of a normal, happy family before the ungratefulness and hatred started to seep in. At this point, we were clean people-one's who had forgiven and forgotten, because we'd faced just how scary it was to nearly lose each other. We didn't have much time left, didn't have a whole lot of options to exhaust before the battle started up, and as tears welled up in my eyes I was hit hard with the fact that nothing good lasts forever in a world like this one.

"Jordyn before you get too excited, you have to know…"

"Know what?" she smiled, looking up at me.

"Jordyn, there was…I mean…"

"One of the babies…."Katie tried.

"Jordyn, one of the babies is gone." I blurted, the tears already beginning to well up in my eyes. Emily looked like someone had just tazed her, her jaw hitting the floor as the words poured out of my mouth.

Jordyn's face was expressionless, completely blank, as if the words were unrecognizable.

"What?"

"One of the babies didn't make it, Jor."

"Whose? Whose is it?"

"Jordyn, we should talk about…"

"Emily, is it yours?" Jordyn whirled in the sheets, going from a graceful angel to a frazzled demon in two seconds. Emily was crying already, Jordyn unable to decipher her tears.

"Where's the baby girl? Is she over there?" Jordyn asked, handing the baby to Lucas. There was a knock at the door as a nurse waltzed in happily, the baby girl in her arms.

Jordyn's eyes locked on the child, the room growing dead silent as the woman walked right past her, heading towards Emily instead. The nurse handed Emily a bottle, starting spewing feeding instructions while my sister sat in a daze amongst her sheets. Nobody moved. Not even after the nurse left, not a sound except for Em's daughter sucking away at her bottle. Lucas kissed his son on the forehead, tears pouring out of his eyes as he cried for his lost daughter.

"Jordyn…"my voice cracked as I moved forward. "Jordyn, it…"

"No. No, no, no, no…" she was trailing off, her face twisted in pain.

"Jordyn, it was bad crash, it..." I was trying, I was trying so damn hurt to make things alright that it hurt.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Jordyn, please!" I kneeled down in front of her, praying to God she'd listen to me.

"NO!" She screeched, her hand missing my face by inches. Lucas nearly threw his son to Jared, who was coddling the frightened child quietly, his heat soothing.

Jordyn was swinging at anyone and everyone, her sobs being choked out in the middle of her throat before they could make sensible noise. She collapsed in a heap on the floor as I sat in the corner, my hands covering my mouth as my own sobs roared through the room, Emily trembling in Sam's arms behind the bed.

"NO!" She was screaming. "NO! MY POOR BABY! MY POOR BABY!"

"Shhh," Lucas murmured, his own tears flowing quickly. "Baby shh, please Love, I know, I know, breathe, breathe."

"I SHOULD'VE SAVED HIM!" She sobbed. "I SHOULD'VE TRIED TO SAVE HIM!"

"Jordyn stop! Jordyn please stop!" I screamed, feeling my insides ripping themselves a part. I couldn't watch this. It was killing me.

"I HATE YOU!" She was screaming at Emily, who looked like she was ready to jump out of the window. "I HATE YOU!"

"WATCH IT!" Sam ordered, his Alpha tone exploding through the room. Jordyn wavered underneath the sound of his voice but kept at it, screeching every name in the book she could think of.

"I HATE YOU!"

"THIS WASN'T MY FAULT!" EMILY PLEADED. "NONE OF THIS WAS OUR FAULT!"

"IT ISN'T FAIR!"

"LIFE IS NOT FAIR JORDYN BUT IT ISN'T MY FAULT!"

"I HATE YOU!"

"I'M SORRY!" Emily sobbed, pleading for my sister to understand. "JORDYN I'M SORRY!" she screamed. Brady and Katie had taken the babies to the nursery, knowing full-well things were about to get ugly.

Jordyn lashed out at Lucas, clawing him, hitting him, doing whatever she could to get to Emily. Sam was shaking furiously standing in front of her, he was trembling so violently I was surprised it'd taken him that long to phase.

"Jared!" I screamed. It took him ten minutes to try and tow Sam out of the room, and even then he'd only gotten him to the doorway.

"HE'S NOT MOVING!" Jared called over his shoulder.

"I HATE YOU!"

"I'M SORRY!"

"I HATE YOU!"

"JORDYN I'M SORRY!"

"JARED, MOVE OUT OF THE GODAMN WAY!"

"IF YOU PHASE IN HERE YOU'LL KILL EVERYBODY!"

"MY BABY!"

"MOVE, DAMMIT!"

"STOOOOOOOP!" I screeched, my voice popping at the intensity of the sound. I was clawing at my own ears, laying against the cold floor, sobbing so violently I was sure I'd throw up in a matter of minutes if all of it continued. I sprang to my feet and lurched at Jordyn, grabbing her wrists. She thrashed at me, and I gave her a little give, allowing her to get a punch or two, to scratch me here and there because she deserved it, because if it was what made her feel better, I'd be her punching bag all day long.

I was positive she'd continue, positive she'd knock me the fuck out-Sam being the one who was holding Jared back now, the doorframe shaking, Emily screaming into her pillow on the couch, Lucas doing his best to keep his baby's mother from murdering someone. Jordyn gave out of nowhere, slinking to the floor, clinging to me for dear life, sobbing into my clothes, telling me she loves me, sobbing that she's sorry, that she doesn't hate anyone, that she needs her baby, that she's already a failure.

We laid in that heap for what felt like hours, Mom came and went, Brady came and went, Jordyn and I never left, refused to move, as if we were demanding time to stop for us. We needed it. When I'd finally gotten her back in bed, and she'd stayed quiet long enough that I knew if I left she'd be okay, days had passed. A week. Two.

****I knocked lightly on the door before entering, Lucas cooing to Evan as he laid on his chest, Jordyn staring at the wall across from her like she had for the past two weeks. There was nothing she would do, nothing she would say. At least in the beginning, when she'd spend hours a day screaming at all of us, we knew what was going on in her mind. Four days before, I'd found her in a pool of her own blood sobbing on the bathroom floor, a baby girl's dress and a pair of scissors in hand. She'd been cutting, starving herself, refusing to go outside…she was a vegetable, a shell, nothing more than that.

"Want anything?" I asked quietly. She didn't move. Didn't answer. "Food? Or something to drink?"

"No." she murmured, barely audible.

"Jordyn you can't live like this," I whispered, sitting on the side of her bed. "You haven't eaten in three days."

"Congratulations, you can count."

"You're gonna die like this, Jor. They're gonna start force-feeding you."

"Okay?"

"Jordyn why won't you-"

"Leave," she hissed, not taking her eyes off the wall. "If you or Emily don't shove it quick, don't bother coming here at all."

I flinched at her tone, afraid to ask what was going through her mind. I'd never seen my sister in such a destructive state, never seen so many self-inflicted cuts and bruises littering her body before a few weeks ago. It was ripping me a part. Emily shifted uncomfortably in her corner of the couch, staring at her fingers like she did every time she visited Jordyn. The two were either screaming at each other or sitting two feet away from each other silently, there was no in between with them lately.

"Do you think maybe we should just leave? Just let your Mom and Jordyn sort it out themselves with a counselor?"

"It's so much worse than that, Jared."

"Explain it to me then." He murmured, stroking my cheek as we lay in my hospital bed three nights later.

"She hasn't eaten, she won't speak…the other night Lucas caught her trying to steal extra sleeping pills and a bottle of vodka from the hospital supply. She's gonna die if we leave her here Jared, she's gonna kill herself." I sobbed quietly, Jared stroking away each tear as it fell down my face.

"No, baby. No she won't. No she won't."

"Jared I'm scared."

"I know, Love. She's missing something, something she's built her entire future around. She needs a void filler, a patch job. Nothing can heal a heart that broken."

"Nothing but what's missing." I murmured, finishing the quote from the last English assignment I'd gotten. Jared spent all night staying up and reading the damn thing to me just so I wouldn't fail the multiple choice quiz the next day. "Nothing but what's missing." I whispered again, sitting up slowly. Jared furrowed his brow, noticing the plot hatching in my mind.

"Jared, this entire stay at the hospital, Jordyn hasn't held the baby girl once." I murmured.

"There's a point to that, Kim…it isn't safe for-"

"That's what you all think, but that's what she's missing! She's missing a second child, a second place to store all her emotion, Jared I have an idea, come on, one last option and then I promise we'll get her a counselor." Jared pursed his lips, considering my idea before caving and leading me to Emily's room.

"I need you to come with me." I told my friend of what felt like forever, her daughter nestled cozily in her arms. "And I need you to bring the baby."

"She's not going in the same room with Jordyn." Sam growled.

"Sam, please. I have an idea." I begged.

"Yeah, and look how far all of those have gotten us."

"Watch it." Jared said darkly, his voice deepening. I almost jumped, the voice was nearly unrecognizable and even shook Sam up a little. Sam's eyes flickered between Emily and I, and the more the both of us pressed on him, the further he caved.

"Fine." He grumbled. "But you have five minutes. Emily slid out of bed with her daughter in arms, following Jared and I as we led her to Jordyn's room.

The game was blaring on the t.v. again, Lucas and Evan sound asleep on the couch as usual. Jordyn was staring at her wall again.

"Hi Jordyn." I said awkwardly, unsure of how to start. She didn't answer me.

"Jordyn." Emily murmured softly.

"What do you want?" my sister growled, almost inhumanly. Emily took in a deep breath.

"You need to see the baby." I said softly.

"Shove it in the garbage disposal." Jordyn hissed. Emily flinched, fury blazing in her eyes.

"Now you-"

"Em," I warned, shaking my head. Emily stepped back slightly, regaining her self-control. "Jordyn, you need to see the baby."

"I don't want to see the baby!" Jordyn growled a little louder.

"You have to see the-"

"I DON'T WANT IT."

"YOU HAVE TO SEE THE BABY JORDYN."

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE DAMN BABY!" she screamed, clawing at her ears.

"YOU HAVE TO SEE THE BABY!" I repeated over and over, Jordyn screeching her own retorts, shaking Lucas from his sleep so suddenly that he nearly fell off the couch.

"GET THE DAMN THING OUT OF HERE!" Jordyn screamed, her expression wild. Lucas fled with Evan. "GET IT OUT!" We were screaming back and forth, neither letting up on our attack.

"YOU HAVE TO SEE THE BA-"

"SWEAR TO GOD KIM I'LL KILL Y-"

"YOU'RE LOSING YOUR MIND AND YOU HAVE TO SEE THE-"

"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU I'LL-"

"EMILY, TELL HER WHAT YOU NAMED THE BABY!"

"GET IT O-"

"Arbor." Emily said softly, trying to hold back tears.

Jordyn's eyes flickered, her hands leaving her ears.

"What did you just say?" she asked, more afraid than angry now.

"Her name is Arbor." Emily choked out.

The room was silent as Jordyn's expression changed from demonic to human, and for the first time in weeks I saw my sister. Tears overflowed her hazel eyes, her blonde hair washing over her neck and shoulders. Emily was nearly balling, holding the small peacemaker in her arms. Jared squeezed my hand and kissed me on the temple.

"You're amazing." He murmured as Emily moved slowly towards the bed, Arbor in hands. She sat down, Jordyn craning her neck to get a good look. She picked up a finger and gently tried to move away part of the blanket, Arbor twitching suddenly and grasping her finger.

Jordyn melted in seconds, her old self washing through her as she started bawling, gently pulling her finger away to join the others over her mouth, pain and regret leaving her system with each tear.

"What happened to me?" she whispered sadly as Emily handed me the baby. "What's wrong with me?" she cried as the two huddled on the bed.

"Thank you." I murmured quietly to the sleeping princess in my arms, kissing her forehead gently. Jared wrapped himself around me and the small girl, our reflection in the mirror becoming my new favorite sight by the second. I kissed him goodnight and laid out along the bed with Emily and Jordyn, all of us crying softly as we huddled over the small baby, crying until we couldn't cry anymore. We cried because we were weak, because we could feel ourselves physically exhausted, because we realized we wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for the boys, and because we knew that our boys were the ones we loved most. We cried for Jordyn's lost daughter, for Emily's found miracle, for Evan and his strong father Lucas. We cried until there was nothing left to cry about, and then we cried more, our quiet sobs filling the room until we drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


	26. Everyone Was Okay

We were lucky the sun was out. I felt like it symbolized all of us as our lives started coming full circle. Laughing quietly to myself, I thought about how quickly things had changed. How much _I _had changed, even since I'd last thought about it at Emily's catastrophic dinner party.

"Who's a big boy?" I murmured to Evan, bouncing him up and down gently in my arms.

"When's Lucas gonna be home from work?" Emily asked, laying Arbor down in her crib.

"Lord knows, the kid works almost 24/7 for Jordyn and Ev, but it's most definitely worth it."

"How's the apartment coming along?"

"Jordyn loves it, when she's home of course. She decided to graduate early, there wasn't really any point in her sticking around, ya know? The girl had a 3.9 all throughout high school."

"Can we go see her?"

"I wouldn't, not until she calls at least. Her therapy sessions aren't always the best scheduled."

"Take it when ya need it, I suppose." Emily murmured, pulling all the clean clothes out of the dryer as I followed her into the laundry room.

I propped Evan up against my chest, patting lightly at his back after setting his bottle on the table.

"What's been the deal with Sam lately?" I asked quietly. "Jared said he's been worrying like crazy."

"Oh," Emily sighed. "That."

I raised an eyebrow at her as she swept into the living room, me trailing behind her as usual. "Sam's decided to take us to Forks."

"Forks? Why the hell would he move you guys to Forks?"

"He's…worried. About Arbor."

"Why the hell would Sam be worried about Arbor?"

"He's concerned about the environment down here. Doesn't want anything…weird to happen."

"You're kidding."

"He's a father, Kim. Do you think Jared would be any different?"

"Hell yeah I think Jared would be different. How can Sam be worried about Arbor getting Imprinted on?"

"Suppose I never told you about Claire, huh?"

"Claire?"

"My three-year old niece, and her new-found buddy Quil."

My jaw hit the floor.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"On a three year old?"

"I know, I know. I thought the same thing when I first heard, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as it sounds. Quil has no romantic feelings whatsoever, right now he's more of a protector, an older brother. Of course things will change as she grows up, there'll be different stages you know. He'll be a brother, her best friend, maybe even her husband when she gets old enough. It all depends on what she needs him to be at that point in her life."

I mulled the idea over in my head, pursing my lips as Evan hiccupped against my shoulder.

"I still don't like it." I grumbled.

"Trust me, neither do I, but you'll get used to it. We all will."

"I guess, if it's what's important."

"As soon as you see the way he looks at her, you'll understand." She smiled, Sam's folded shirts piling up on the couch.

"How's he supposed to be Alpha? He can't just leave the Pack like that." I frowned.

"Kim, the distance by car from La Push to Forks is only 15 minutes. Our boys can cover a mile in under a minute."

"Speaking of significant others," I murmured awkwardly. "Is it the same? For you and Sam I mean."

"It?"

"You know…"

"OH. Sex?"

I nearly dropped Evan on his poor little face.

"PFFT. SEX? WHO WAS TALKING ABOUT SEX? PFFT. NO." I sputtered quickly. "But you know, I mean if that's the direction you wanna take the conversation in…."

"Yes, it's still the same. Better, actually. The fact that we have Arbor just gave me one more reason to love him, one more thing to fight for in that poor bedroom."

"Poor bedroom?"

"Nearly tore the damn thing apart last wee-"

"OKAY. DO I HEAR THE DOOR?" I yelped, stopping her mid-sentence. Thankfully there _was _someone at the door, or else I would've needed a new excuse to keep from being exposed to Emily's sexual exploits.

Jordyn looked up at me sheepishly, a weak smile playing in across her face as the sun lined her silhouette. She was so pretty it hurt. I embraced her immediately, taking her somewhat by surprise. For the past weeks, Jordyn seemed stunned that any of us would still even look at her after her episode in the hospital, which was idiotic seeing as we spent most of our time convincing her that she was family, and therefore our love was unconditional.

Emily looked up from her laundry and beamed at us the second she saw Jordyn, nearly tossing the basket halfway across the room to get to her.

"How are you?" she cried, throwing her arms around my sister. Jordyn smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Better," she smiled brightly, kissing Em on the cheek. "Much better. I still can't thank you guys enough fo-"

"Oh, hush. I don't want to hear it," Emily smiled, offering Jordyn a cup of coffee. "What brings you around, stranger?"

"Well…I was just, I mean I thought maybe I could-"

"You wanna see her?" Emily asked, smiling mischievously. Jordyn nodded excitedly as Emily rushed upstairs to get Arbor, still beaming when she came down the stairs.

Jordyn's face lit up ten times more than usual as Emily set the small baby in her arms.

"Hello?" Em asked, flipping her phone open and holding it to her ear. She tapped her foot on the ground somewhat impatiently as she bustled around the kitchen, pulling out package after package of ingredients. The boys were coming home soon. "Mhmm. Okay, that's fine. I want you home by six, alright? Alright. Love you too, honey. Bye."

I leaned against the window, Evan still in my arms as we bathed in the sunlight together. Jordyn had gone from a flaky, stereotypical 18 year old senior in high school, to a mother. A griever. A protector, and a fighter, but one that loved more than anyone could ever imagine. She wasn't a little girl anymore, she was smart, she'd matured, she'd gone through the loss of a child, something most women haven't done in their entire lifetime. I missed her. She'd agreed to stay in counseling, promised that she would keep herself healthy and away from any destructive behaviors. We'd been in a hospital for a month, and the only thing that'd changed in our lives was us. La Push was still the same, sleepy town-school was still going to be school, the people still going to be the people, only these days people knew who we were and were proud to have us as a part of their lives.

Emily and Sam were the happiest I'd ever seen them. With Arbor able to go home with them, they felt complete. She was a beautiful little girl, had green eyes that came from God-Knows-Where, but anybody would be able to tell that she was Sam and Emily's, even strangers. Emily wasn't "along for the ride" anymore. She wasn't just a part of Sam's world, she _was _his world, and these days I couldn't be more proud of her. She'd gone from being a part of a kingdom to ruling it, shaping it, turning it into her own and being a strong foundation for her King.

And me? Well I couldn't imagine a life without Jared, a life without Emily and Sam or Jordyn and her new family. No matter how much fighting and screaming and blood and pain it'd taken, I'd built myself a safehose with these people-they were where I belonged, no matter what I was doing or how I was doing it. Jared was my rock, Emily my best friend, Katie and Brady my inspirations to always work things out. Jordyn was a goddess, a story I'd never forget while Sam was the father I'd never gotten to have. The little one in my arms, accompanied by his somewhat sister, they were the ones we'd tell our stories too, the ones who'd learn from us and grow from our mistakes while we helped them through making their own. I was nothing half a year ago, just your typical 16 year old girl praying that something good would happen to her. Maybe my story wasn't your typical happy ending, maybe I wasn't the heroine everyone always imagined, but I was Kimberly Conweller, soon to be Mrs. Kimberly Thail. This was the life I'd shaped our of what had been given to me, and I was never going to be happier.

"Is it over?" Jordyn asked quietly, sitting across from me with Arbor in her arms.

"Is it ever over?" I asked, hinting at our usual game.

"Never," Jordyn laughed lightly, stroking Arbor's cheek. "Never."

* * *

><p><strong>AHHH! It's over3 What did you guys think of the story? I'm very happy for Kim and Jared, while I was writing I was never 100% sure where their story would go, but I'm proud to say that they wound up in a very good place.<strong>

**BUT, on to more important business: Who's story are we going to experience next?**

**Embry/Arbor?**

**Paul/WhoeverIMakeUpForHim or Rachel?**

**Claire/Quil?**

**Jake/Renesmee? Leave a review or message me letting me know which you'd like to hear about next! Whoever gets the most votes will be starting their story! Ready...set...vote!**


	27. Final Authors Note Important!

**Hey, guys! How'd you like Jared and Kim's story? I love where I left off, and after only a day of voting, my inbox was ATTACKED with people wanting to hear about Embry and Arbor.**

**If this isn't the pairing you wanted, don't be discouraged! I refuse to stop until almost every story is told(:**

_**The Pack Chronicles: Heat**_**is now up with its first chapter completed! Go check it out and Review :D**

**Also, _The Pack Chronicles: Brighter Than the Sun Itself_ is up and completed for the most part as well. (It follows Seth and Analee, a story I started before Jared and Kim's.)**


	28. Dear Pack Chronicle Readers!

***Authors Note***

** Whowee! One book down, and yes, there will be a sequel to _Heat._ MY question, however, is if you're all willing to put that sequel off in order to explore more of the Imprints and their tales. Also, many of you have noted that _Brighter Than The Sun Itself _is incomplete-and this is why:**

**_BTTSI_**** was my first Pack Chronicles novel, and when I began writing it I was inexperienced and less in touch with myself as a writer, and therefore I feel it can be improved and modified. _BTTSI _is also the LAST novel in the Pack Chronicles, therefore it will be the LAST to be finished-also tying into the fact is that the final battle scene will be the biggest I've ever written, and so I will save it for last. The Chronicles are written in this order:**

**Young, Fun, and Hot-Blooded: Jared and Kim**

**Pitch: Paul and Haley**

**Cursed: Quil and Claire**

**Saving a Miracle: Jacob and Renesmee**

**Heat: Embry and Arbor**

**Brighter Than The Sun Itself : Seth and Analee**

**Pitch, Cursed, and Saving a Miracle will be written next in that order to fill the gap between Young, Fun, and Hot-Blooded and Heat! Then, I will write the next installment to Heat and return to Brighter Than The Sun.**

**Remember, you can always ask me questions through review or PM, so please don't be shy! And I love reviews, they inspire me to write more because it lets me know what the readers want to hear!**

**-xoxo, Sixth.**


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